Angels of the Apocalypse
by 666 Black Panther
Summary: Naruto wins at the Valley of the End but is ran out of town where his life changes when he stumbles into a cave. Naruto/AVP Xover. M for violence and gore. Naruto/Harem Tenten, Hinata, Sakura & Ino
1. A Dark Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and other recognized/trademarked charactors.

A/N:  
This is my first Naruto fic and I'm telling you now that other than a few episodes and chapters, I have not watched/read much of the first series (before timeskip) most of my information or from other fic and sources like Narutopedia. So be nice. Thanks.

Chapter 1 - A Dark Beginning

* * *

"Chidori!"

"Rasegan!"

The attacks of the two combatants meet at the center of a large waterfall, causing and implosion of power and destructive force. The only witnesses to the epic battle were the combatants themselves and the statures of the valley.

"We're almost home teme" Naruto said. Sasuke was too tired to speak.

They arrived at the gates, seeing a group of shinobi and villagers alike. Naruto put Sasuke down gently and saw Sakura. He was about to greet her when she pushed him out of the way. "I told you to bring him back! Not nearly kill him!"

"But Sakura-chan I…"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" She screamed. "We have to get Sasuke-kun to the hospital."

Naruto just sighed as Sakura and a few shinobi carried Sasuke off to the hospital and was about to get up when a rock hit the side of his head.

"YOU DEMON! You hurt the Uchiha!"

"DEMON BRAT!"

"We should have killed you years ago!"

The villages started to hurl insults and rocks at Naruto who decided to get up and run out of the gates. Unfortunately, the villagers gave chase and surprisingly some were even able to keep up at least for awhile, throwing rocks, kunais and whatever else they could throw.

Naruto ran and ran, he didn't look back nor did he slow down even when he could no longer hear the villagers. He just kept running till the adrenaline and his stamina finally gave out.

He stopped by a river and took a drink before dunking his head in. He sat there for moments but it seemed like forever especially with what just happened still running through his head.

After bringing Sasuke back, after everything he's done, everything for the village, to prove he wasn't Kyuubi, this is what happens. He gets run out of town just because Sasuke was covered in HIS blood; he was the one that took a Chidori through the chest. All to keep his promise to Sakura…

"Sakura…" He whispered. "I'm not going back."

Naruto got up and explored the area he'd run into and noticed a cave which was mostly covered by a boulder; a well placed Rasengan took care of that and he decided to walk in and explore it.

As he got deeper, he noticed a skeleton on the floor with a full face mask/helmet which had a large forehead and chest armor but the lower ribs looked like they were ripped out or something busted through it.

He pulled off the helmet and dropped it in shock, whatever the creature was it wasn't human but then again he'd recently seen a human with six arms and another that could use his bone as weapons so who's to say that this crab-faced thing wasn't human.

Naruto continued to explore the cave, never noticing the shadow that silently followed him. As he got deeper, he noticed that the walls started changing from natural rock formations to metal with grids and glyphs on them as well as something hard and smooth that was neither metal nor rock in patterns that looked like bones.

"What's this?" Naruto ran his hand over a bump on the wall and it lit up causing a loud hissing sound and a door to open in front of him.

There was another loud hiss from behind and Naruto spun around in time to see a shadow with a long barbed tail jump towards him. "WHAT THE HE…!"

* * *

It's been just over three years since the day Naruto was run out of the village and things weren't going well for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Just about a year and a half ago Iwa allied itself with Kiri, Kasa and Oto with the sole intention of destroying Konoha and its allies.

When word first got out about what appeared to Naruto, Wave and Snow threatened to cut all ties and trade with Konoha unless Naruto returned and that those responsible were punished. Tsunade did not need anymore motivation but was overruled by the Council and the elders, whom did not bother about threats from 'lesser' countries.

It was only a year later when Sabaku no Gaara became the Godaime Kazekage and threatened to end its alliance and the rumors and scattered information of the possible alliance with Konoha's enemies that the Council finally relented and the guilty villagers were finally punished. Many were heavily fined and/or jailed, it turned out there were a few shinobi too who were either demoted or removed from the shinobi ranks and the ring-leaders were fined and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences.

It was little comfort though for those that cared for Naruto like the Konoha 11 as they were called, especially a certain Hyuga and Sannin apprentice. Sakura walked through the corridor on the way to the Hokage's office.

She'd let her hair grow out since and tied it up in nine ponytails; she never forgot the day Naruto left.

* * *

- Flashback no Jutsu -

Sakura paced outside the room that Tsunade was checking on Sasuke quickly blurted out. "Is Sasuke-kun okay?"

Tsunade's expression grew cold as she spoke, "I could not find any serious or life-threatening injuries."

"But he was covered in blood."

"It's not his blood and I have a damn good idea whose it is." Tsunade walked off not caring about the look of confusion on her face.

* * *

- Hokage's Office -

Kakashi, Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Gai, Hinata, Kurenai, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru and Kiba were gathered in the Hokage's office.

"I thank all of you for coming." Tsunade started, "About an hour ago Sasuke Uchiha was brought back by Naruto Uzumaki after attempting to leave the village to join Orochimaru. He is currently unconscious and under surveillance by a squad of ANBU, he is currently stable as he did not have any serious injuries."

"But I heard he was covered in blood." Ino asked.

"We checked him, the blood wasn't his… It was Naruto's."

All the girls gasped.

"Pakkun and I found more of Naruto's blood at the Valley of the End where we believe the fight took place."

"But… but… if Naruto-kun was hurt that ba..badly, how did he make it back?" Hinata asked.

"Sigh… by all accounts any normal person would be death." Everyone but Kakashi and Tsunade eyes widened. "What I am about to tell you is an S-class secret which the Jounins and older generation know but under the laws of the Sandaime Hokage, none of the younger generation were to be told about it under penalty of death. The Yondaime did not kill the Kyuubi twelve years ago, no human can kill a demon instead he sealed it in a newborn baby, Naruto."

All of the Konoha Genin except Shikamaru gasped at the revaluation.

"You don't seem all that surprised, Shikamaru." Kakashi noted.

"Shino and I guessed as much. Having pieced together the clues like the dislike of the villagers, the names, his birth-date, the beatings…"

"BEATINGS!"

"Jinchūriki, 'Power of Human Sacrifice' are vessels and jailors of the biju and are pretty much treated the same universality. Either with hatred and loathing or are made into weapons." Kakashi explained.

"Like me." Everyone turned to Gaara, "We are viewed as nothing more than weapons and treat as such either with fear or hate. That was why when I first met Naruto I was surprised he wasn't like I was."

All the Konoha nin shuddered thinking about Naruto being a blood thirst killer like Gaara was.

"We grew up in pretty much the exact same circumstances but he made friends and decided to acknowledge his existence by becoming Hokage instead of ending other's existence. He would protect them, even those that scorned him."

Everyone was left with their own thoughts about the blond; most reevaluating what they thought of him.

An ANBU suddenly appeared in the middle of the office, "Hokage-sama. About thirty minutes ago after Sasuke Uchiha was taken to the hospital a mob was formed by some villagers and they ran Naruto Uzumaki out of the village."

"WHAT! WHY AM I BEING TOLD ABOUT THIS NOW!"

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, most of the ANBU were preoccupied."

"Have those involved arrested!"

"Hai." The ANBU disappeared in a cloud.

"The rest of you. Kakashi, Ino, Tenten, will be on one Team. Kurenai, Hinata and Kiba on another. Can I count on you three?" Tsunade asked the Sand Siblings who nodded.

"Gai you're with them. Find Naruto. GO!" The teams ran out of the office.

"What about us Tsunade-sama?"

"The two of you will stay here and watch Sasuke and the other Genin." Tsunade was about to walk out the door but stopped without turning around, "That is what you would want isn't it, Sakura?"

She walked out the door not giving Sakura a chance to reply.

* * *

- Flashback Kai -

"Naruto." Sakura whispered as she clutched the papers she was carrying. She carried on walking to the Hokage's office and entered and noticed the Jounin team leaders of the Konoha 11.

"I'm sorry. I'll…"

"It's ok Sakura, we're almost done. Take a seat." Sakura nodded and did as instructed. "As I was saying our Scouts have reported that the two enemy camps at the border of Fire Country are totally empty and they do not seem to have been abandoned."

"What do you mean Hokage-sama?" Asuma asked.

"There are signs of fighting at the camps but not as much as you would expect from wiping out a camp of hundreds of trained shinobi. Other than a few knocked over tents, loose kunai, shurikens and a relatively small amount of blood, there are hardly any clues as to what happened. It's almost as if everyone in that camp just vanished."

"This is most troubling. What are your orders Hokage-sama?"

"I want Team Asuma to head to the camp East of Konoha and Team Kurenai to the West, see if you can find any clues as to what happened. The rest of you will be on stand-by till further notice. Dismissed." The jounins got up to leave, nodding to Sakura.

* * *

- Konoha Gate -

Izumo and Kotetsu were on guard duty as usual.

"Sigh… This is sooo boring." Izumo sighed.

"Well we could always ask the Hokage for a tougher job or mission you know."

"Forget it."

"Hey guys." The duo looked over and noticed another Chunin with red hair tied in a ponytail and his hitai-ite in a bandana, walking up to them.

"Yo Kenji." Kotetsu greeted.

"Anything interesting happened today?"

"You're joking right, Kenji?" Izumo answered, "Hardly anything ever happens in Konoha."

"Well you should still be on alert. We are at war you know?" Kenji cautioned.

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud scream for help and the sound of distressed footsteps running towards them. The three Chunin turned to see three Iwa nin running towards them.

"What the hell?" Izumo looked confused before the three of them seizing them just as they passed the gate.

"PLEASE HELP US!"

"YOU HAVE TO TAKE US AWAY FROM HERE!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" The Chunin and Iwa shinobi turned to Team Asuma standing a few meters away from them with Asuma in front of Ino, Shikamaru and Choji.

The three Chunin brought the captured Iwa nin towards the team while Kenji answered, "We were talking when these three ran towards the gate. We caught them but they were hysterical."

"What are you three doing here?"

"We were trying to get away… away from…"

"From what?"

"Him." The nin pointed to the gate where a figure in a dark brown cloak landed, his voice sounded like he was facing the Shinigami himself.

The figure stood up and walked towards the gathered ninja, his armored boots crashing the stones under them, a dagger attached to either leg. He on black shinobi pants with a pouch strapped to his right thigh and two round metal cylinders on his left.

Over a chain-mill shirt, his chest was covered in battle scarred gun-metal grey armor, his shoulder guards and arms covered by his cloak which bored the whirlpool symbol encircled by an elongated lizard-like creature with a crest on its head, biting its tail.

The mask he worn was shadowed by his hood but you could clearly see that the mask, like the chest armor, had been through many battles though some marks looked intentional like a glyph made up of two strokes, forming a stylized 'T' on the forehead and a pair of three scratch marks on either cheek.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Asuma asked as the chunin moved the captured nin behind him and his team.

"I am a Predator, a Hunter if you will and those three," he pointed to the captured Iwa nin, "are my prey."

"Are you a hunter-nin or a bounty hunter maybe? We're willing to compensate you for these nin." Asuma offered.

"I have no interest in money."

"Then I'm afraid we'll have to ask you to leave. We need any information that these nin might have and we outnumber you."

"Hn." The Predator smirked behind his mask and snapped his fingers. Loud rushing sounds were heard from the trees outside the gates followed quickly by loud clawing sounds scaling the outer walls.

Six human shaped figures appeared in top of the walls in crouching/squatting positions, they had elongated, cylindrical skulls but possess no visible eyes and had segmented, blade-tipped tails, the tails have a flat ridge of spines at the base of the blade.

They crawled down the wall half-way before leaping down around the Predator.

"What the hell are those things?" Ino asked, the fear obvious on her face.

Four of them with four dorsal tubes on their back stood up on their hind legs (Warriors) ready to strike while the other two which had digitigrade hind legs and lacked the dorsal tubes of the others (Runners) remained crouched, ready to strike.

They have a skeletal appearance and were colored in muted shades of blackish bronze. Though they did not have eyes, the looks the creatures were giving the gathered ninja were enough to let them know that the creatures knew they were there.

One of the Runners spotted one of the Iwa Shinobi and snarl at him causing him to wet himself much to disgust of the Leaf Chunin holding him.

"Give us our prey and we will leave. I had no intention of stepping foot in this village again for a long time."

"What did he mean again?" Shikamaru thought.

Asuma swallowed the lump in his throat that formed at seeing the strange creatures, "I don't think so. We are at war with the country these shinobi are from and we have questions for them."

"I know of your war and it is none of my concern though those shinobi made good practice and stock."

Asuma's cigarette fell out of his mouth when he realized what the stranger was implying. "You were the one that wiped-out those camps?"

"Me and my Angels."

Before Asuma could say anything, three ANBU appeared.

Bear stepped forward, "The Hokage has ordered that these ninja be arrested and taken for interrogation. You can either take a bounty offered to you or we will arrest you as well."

Before the Predator answer, one of the Iwa nin pushed Izumo out of the way, grabbing a kunai and charged the Predator. The Predator snapped his head towards the charging nin and three red dots in the form of a triangle flashed to life on his helmet.

His shoulder plasma cluster sprung up through a specially made hole in his cloak and after a quick charge released a bright blue bolt with completely destroyed the ninja's head, shocking all present.

"Tch. What a waste. As I was saying, give us what's left of our prey. I will not ask again."

"I don't think so." Bear drew his sword along with his teammates Tiger and Falcon.

Asuma drew his trench-knives and the rest of his team got ready. The ANBU rushed forward and clashed with three Warriors while the rest rushed the Chunin.

For a moment neither one moved a muscle, then the ANBU and Asuma ran towards the Hunter and Angels which met them halfway.

Choji and Shikamaru got in front of Ino, "Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Ino's body fell limp as one of the Runners stood frozen to its spot. "AHHHH!" she suddenly woke up screaming in terror.

"Ino!" Shikamaru kneed down and grabbed her shoulders trying calm her down, "Ino, calm down. What's wrong?"

"So… so dark… so cold… so so…"

"Easy Ino."

The Runner ran towards the trio ready to kill.

"Super Expansion Jutsu! Mega Palm Thrust!" Choji quickly grew and crashed the Runner to the ground but started to scream in pain, returned to normal size and started to rub his hands on the ground to try and dull the pain.

"Choji, what happened!" Shikamaru reluctantly left Ino against the side of a building to check on Choji.

He checked Choji's hands and noticed they were burnt and looked to the remains of the crashed Runner and noticed the slight hissing and bubbling from the blood.

"Be carful! Their blood is highly acidic!" He warned but it was too late as Falcon was able to slash the other Runner and was unable to get out of the way off the spray which burnt her torso, arms and parts of her legs.

"Shit!" Shikamaru cursed and quickly sent his shadow towards the Warrior which decided to change target from Asuma to the downed Falcon. He sighed when his shadow made it in time.

Shikamaru turned the captured Warrior towards Bear and made it tackle one of the other two Warriors attacking him. The two Warrior seem to be 'talking' to each other in high-pitch screeches and hisses before the captured Warrior took a swipe at the other's head.

Being unable to use the full capabilities of the captured Warrior, it was quickly killed and torn apart. Shikamura noticed that they had no qualms about killing another one of their kind and their bodies were immune to the acid.

Tiger disappeared as the Warrior landed where he stood earlier. "Earth Style: Inner Decapitation Jutsu!" The Warrior screamed as it was pulled underground it was much harder to pull it down than a human but eventually it was pulled under till only its head its head was left above ground. Tiger reappeared behind the trapped Warrior and cut its head in half.

Asuma jumped back to avoid a tail strike and threw one of his trench-knives, it moved enough to avoid the blade but Asuma had channeled his chakra through the knife sharpening, lengthening and widening it enough to cut of the arm off the Warrior, distracting it from avoiding the second knife through its head, silencing it.

The last Warrior and Bear clashed into each other, Bear used his left arm to push the Warrior's head away just as its tongue shot out and stabbed it in the center of its chest with his sword. The Warrior released a high-pitch scream before stabbing Bear through the back of his thigh with its tail before it fell dead on the ground as the ANBU withdrew his melting sword and dropped it as he fell to his knees, removing his melting right arm-guard and cradled his arm.

"Hmph. You guys are as strong as I thought though I really did not expect that I would have to do this." The Hunter sliced his palm with a kunai and quickly ran through the hand seals and slammed his palm on the ground, "Summoning Jutsu: Angels of the Apocalypse!"

Out of the smoke ten more Warriors stepped forward and snarled at the gathered ninja.

"Oh crap. As if the first few weren't troublesome enough."

"I say again give us our prey and we will leave."

Just then Team Kakashi which consisted of Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha appeared.

"What the hell's going on here? Ino?" Sakura asked and ran to check on her petrified friend.

"Sakura get over here! I need you to heal Choji."

Sakura quickly ran over to Choji and after a quick check started to heal him while Shikamaru went to check on Ino and protect her if necessary.

"What's going on here Asuma?" Kakashi asked as he surveyed the scene.

"Three Iwa nin ran into the village earlier and were caught by three Chunin in the area; apparently they were running away from him." He motioned to the Predator, "And his summons, he calls them Angels. He claims to be the one that wiped out those enemy camps but for some reason he won't give up those nin, no matter what."

"How strong is he?"

"Honestly… No idea expect for shooting something from his shoulder which completely blew off that poor sap's head, he's left all the fighting to his summons. Hell he hasn't even moved from his spot."

Kakashi nodded. "You three guard the prisoners."

The three Chunin nodded and closed in their ranks. Asuma threw a pair of kunais with explosive tags to try and take down the Warriors but they scattered as the tags exploded.

One ran towards Sakura and Choji but Sasuke got in between them.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" The Warrior tried to dodge the fireball but the fireball grew too large for it to dodge, causing it to be burned to death.

Just as Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, he was tackled to the ground from behind by two Warriors and the tongue of one of them was driven into the ground just an inch from his head.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." The Hunter warned as the tongue was slowly retracted, "I'm willing to bet that their tongues are faster than you and spilling their blood over you is ill advised."

"Damn. How did they get behind me?" Sasuke thought trying to find a way out of his predicament.

"Sasuke!" Sakura ran forward but stopped when one of the Warriors squeezed Sasuke's head with its hand.

Tiger jumped in front of Bear and Asuma jumped in front of Falcon. One Warrior ran towards Kakashi while the others spilt up between the other two pairs.

Tiger ducked under the claws of the first Warrior and with an upwards stroke, took its left arm off and just barely managed to avoid the tail strike aimed for his head. He used his slightly smoking sword to block the tongue strike by the other Warrior only to get its tongue cut off for its attempt.

The Warrior screamed as its blood flowed heavily from its mouth, Tiger was about to finish the job off but had to jump back and avoid the spray of blood as it turned its head. It fell on its back dead, courtesy of a katana through the chest by Bear.

"Fire Style: Burning Ash Pile!" Asuma released a cloud of ash which caught the two charging Warriors who screamed in pain but one of them managed to roll out of the cloud before Asuma ignited the cloud, killing the one caught in the blast.

"Kakashi don't!" Asuma yelled when he noticed Kakashi drawing a kunai and diagonally slashed across a Warrior's chest, neck and face. The blood sprayed out of the wound and burnt his left arm. Kakashi hissed and threw his kunai into the side of the injured Warrior's head but it was not enough to kill it. The Warrior pulled the kunai out of its head and charged Kakashi.

Kakashi threw three shuriken which were dodged; he tried to draw a kunai with his left hand but was unable to. He lifted up his hitai-ite revealing his Sharingan.

"Kakashi!"

Tiger threw his katana to Kakashi who grabbed it and in one fluid motion take a few quick slash at the injured Warrior and the one that escaped the ash cloud and jumped out of the way towards the Predator before the Warriors fell to pieces on the ground.

The Hunter used his kunai to block the sword strike and jumped out of the way of a kick and threw his kunai at Kakashi.

"Kage Kunai Jutsu!" A log replaced Kakashi at the last moment as a dozen kunai were about to hit him.

A pair of jagged blades extended from his right gauntlet about a foot before extending another foot and swung down towards Kakashi who blocked with his sword but it broke from the force of the blow.

Kakashi blocked out the pain and blazed through some hand seals, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The fireball cleared revealing nothing but scorched earth.

"Where is he?" Kakashi thought as approached the spot where his opponent stood earlier.

Just as he reached the spot, two eyes flashed yellow and before Kakashi could react he was hit by a right hook to the face and three more to the body before he was stabbed in his right thigh by the Hunter's left wrist-blades.

Kakashi fell to his knees and felt a hand grabbed his neck as the Predator de-cloaked in front of him and leaned towards Kakashi's ear and spoke just loud enough for the two of them to hear, "Normally, I might have had a harder time fighting you but not in your current condition and I'd have that checked," he motioned to Kakashi's arm, "As soon as possible Kakashi… Sensei."

Kakashi felt his heart stop for a moment. "Naruto?"

TBC

* * *

A/N:

Yes this is a Naruto AvP crossover though no Predator will be making its appearance in this fic. Most of my info for Aliens and Preds are from my Dark Horse comics and other sources like games. But since even the cannon info can sometime be a little conflicting, I will try to clear them up as much as possible at least for this fic's sake/POV.

I will be the first to admit that I like reading about god-like charactors with more gadgets than an Abram tank as long as there's a good story and opponent(s) but I don't think I will make Naruto god-like, powerful yes, super powerful maybe. I'll leave it to you guys and probably my main beta on what you want to give Naruto unless the need arises. Anyway your choices for 'up-grades are )but not limited to):

_All/Multiple Elemental afinitely including Wood, Metal, Magma, Ice, Dark/Shadow and Light._ Wind is a given and my beta has already chosen 1 of the unique elements for him. I want to give him at least 1 or 2 more of the 'normal' elements, I'm leaning towards Water.

_Unlimited/More Advance Pred-tech, possibly including a light to heavy air/space craft._ Check out Wikipedia for the complete list of Pred tech, he Will get about a 1/4 of that now.

_Bloodline Limit:_ Improved Sharingan, Ultimate Defense (Wind, Fire or Lightning), Ability to block/copy other Bloodlines. Some traits/abilities from the Xenomorphs will be a given. My beta's voted for 'Block AND Copy other bloodlines'.

Happy voting.

Also this will be a harem fic with at least 4 girls. Guess who. I might add a 5th if I can work it in.


	2. Blast from the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Aliens or the Predators.

A/N:  
Thanks to everyone who read this fic and especially those that reviewed and PM'ed me with your suggestions/votes. So far I've only got a PM for him to have 'Wood' afinately which would require him to have Water and Earth as well so this will be put on the back-burner for awhile and 1 vote for more Advanced Pred-tech.

For Bloodlines I got 1 vote against bloodlines and four for bloodline with blocking other bloodlines being more popular as well as a suggestion for an advance Rinnegan as well as other offers/ideas (thanks Ignkiakanak) right now this is also up in the air as I realised that I had no idea how to let him use it but most likely I will get him to use it in a fight with a high-level opponent, probably Kage or Sannin level.

Play4ever, I've given a possible answer as to why he did what he did. Thanks for asking, might not have explained it if you hadn't asked.

Thanks for the support.

Chapter 2 - Blast From The Past

* * *

"Normally, I might have had a harder time fighting you but not in your current condition and I'd have that checked as soon as possible Kakashi… Sensei."

"Naruto?"

The Hunter dropped the shocked Kakashi on his back and with a snap of his fingers a few Drones ran out of their hiding places knocking down the Chunins in surprise and grabbed the two surviving Iwa nin before disappearing in a cloud of smoke and the bodies of the dead Drones burst into flames.

"I'll be taking my leave now." The Hunter's shadow rose and wrapped around him like a cocoon before sinking back into the ground and vanishing.

"What in the World?"

* * *

- Hokage's Office -

The bandaged and healed Team Asuma and Kakashi gathered in the Hokage's office waiting for Team Gai and Kurenai to arrive. Sakura was sitting next to a shivering Ino who was still a little un-nerved having entered the Runners' mind.

"Hokage-sama you wanted to see us? We were about to leave." Kurenai entered the office along with her team followed closely by Team Gai.

"Your current mission along with Team Asuma's is put on hold as we've received new information." Tsunade processed to inform everyone of the details of the fight that had taken place earlier and the Predator's supposed involvement in the enemy camps.

"We have to find out who this… Predator is." The Hokage thought out loud.

"It's Naruto." Kakashi deadpanned almost not believing what he just said himself. "He called me Kakashi-sensei…" Everyone stared at Kakashi as if he was insane.

"Sigh… Troublesome… I believe it is Naruto given what Kakashi-sensei has said and given some of the other clues like the scratch marks on the mask that look a lot like Naruto's whisker marks and the fact that he indicted that he has been in this village before, also during his fight with Kakashi-sensei I noticed he had blonde hair, there is no other logical conclusion but to believe that that Predator is Naruto Uzumaki."

No one could believe that the man that some of them saw earlier was Naruto and that he was supposed to be responsible for wiping out two large enemy camps. If it was Naruto, was he helping them since he did wipe out enemy camps but why would he attack them (Konoha) then?

"Do you think he will attack our village?" Choji asked.

"He has no reason not to."

Gai nodded grimly, "It was this village that shun and abused him and eventually threw him out for things that were out of his control."

"Here is your mission and it is an S-rank mission." All the ninjas snapped to attention, "Team Gai, Team Asuma and Team Kurenai are to seek out this Hunter and determine his intentions and if it is Naruto and see if you can persuade him to return."

"What about us Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked.

"I think it's best that you three stay here."

"What! But Kakashi is one of the best trackers around and there's no way I'm giving up my chance on seeing the dobe again."

"I know no one wants to hear this or at least bring it up but what if it is Naruto and he is our enemy?" Shikamaru asked the question that no one wanted to bring up.

"Then you will have to do want you must." The Hokage answered sadly.

"Please Shisou. You have to let us go."

"Sakura…" She looked sadly at her student, "Could you really bring yourself to… kill him if necessary?"

Sakura didn't even want to think about it, she just wanted her chance to apologize to Naruto.

"No but all of us might have a better chance of convincing him to come back." She gave Tsunade a determined look.

"Very well then. All four team will leave immediately. Kakashi will be overall in-charge and Asuma second. Dismissed."

* * *

Tsunade and Shizune watched from the tower as the Konoha 11 and their senseis headed towards the main gate.

"Was it a good idea to let the two of them go after him?"

"You forgot that while those two were the last ones to start searching for him, they were the ones that searched the longest. Besides I think Sakura needs this more than any of them."

"Don't forget Hinata." Shizune joked. "I just hope that he hears them out."

"Have you really changed that much, Gaki?" Tsunade thought.

* * *

"Alright, Kiba, Akamaru see if you can pick up Naruto or those things' scent."

"Hai." Kiba and Akamaru followed Kakashi's order and after a few minutes, stopped and faced the rest. "We got their scent so are we going to follow it?"

"For now but if it's a dead end I have another place we can search for clues. Let's go."

The group jumped into the trees with Akamaru and Kiba leading the way till the stopped in a large clearing surrounded by trees.

"What's the matter Kiba? Lost the scent?" Neji asked.

"No, the scents' all over the place but they seem to be branching off in those two directions."

"Hmm… Do you guys think…" Kakashi turned to the other Jounin.

"I was thinking the same thing. This could be Naruto's staging area." Asuma took out a map and placed it on the ground. These are where the enemy camps are and this is where we are. It's almost the same distance from here between the two camps."

"Yes and this clearing is large enough for him to summon a large number of those things." Gai added.

"And have his shadow clones lead them." Kakashi concluded.

"So what now sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"We head to the first place that would welcome Naruto with open arms."

Everyone gave him a confused look till Sakura understood, "Wave."

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me!" Kiba yelled.

"YOSH! NARUTO-KUN'S FLAMES OF YOUTH TRULY BURNS BRIGHT!" Lee yelled.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked.

The rest just stared at the 'Great Naruto' bridge. As they crossed the bridge the others asked Team Kakashi about the events that took place during their mission to Wave and what Naruto did.

"Oh you have got to be shitting me. Again!"

Everyone followed Kiba's eyes and saw what he was staring at and everyone's mouth hung open except Shino who raised an eyebrow. There in the center of the town square a few meters after the entrance of the bridge stood a bronze statue of Naruto in full Predator gear and mask flanked by two of his Angels.

The group approached the statue and read the plaque, "Dedicated to the masked hero who saved our Country in our time of need."

"Look at the date! It was almost eight months ago." Tenten pointed out.

"Well if it isn't the ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village, my how you've grown."

The group turned towards the voice and the former Team 7 recognized the bridge builder, Tazuna but this time he was wearing a stylish kimono and flanked by two other armed men.

"Tazuna-san, it's so good to see you again." Sakura approached but was blocked by one of the men reaching for his sword.

"You will address the Daimyo with respect, Leaf nin."

"Now. Now. Narita, I'm sure she meant no disrespect."

"Daimyo?"

Tazuna smiled and scratched his cheek embarrassed, "Well after you and Naruto saved us from Gatou, we decided to run the old Feudal Lord and they voted me to be the new Feudal Lord."

Everyone stared in awe, it's not every day that you'd meet a Feudal Lord even if it is of a minor country or that you saved said Lord before.

"Why don't you spend the night at my home?" Tazuna offered.

Tazuna and his guards led the Leaf-nin towards a familiar location, but when they got there, they were surprised to find that it was not the same humble building it used to be. It was now an elegant mansion whose exterior seemed to be made out of white marble. Tazuna led them into the hall and they took their seats at all the available places.

"Tazuna-sama, what can you tell us about the statue we saw earlier?" Gai asked.

"He was a stranger that just appeared in our hour of need when Lobo, Gatou's successor for lack of a better term decided to try and takeover Wave again. Why do you ask?"

"We are searching for that man and we believe it is Naruto."

The guards reached for the weapons, "What do you want with Naruto-sama, Leaf nin?"

"Easy, Narita. You have to excuse them, Naruto is a National hero here and no one took what happened to Naruto kindly."

"Grandpa, I'm home." Everyone turned to see an older Inari walk into the room and look at the guests. "I remember you." He pointed at Team Kakashi.

"Welcome home Inari, your mother is still out and yes Inari these are the ninjas that were with Naruto last time and some of their comrades. I was about to tell them the story of our second hero who might actually be Naruto himself."

"REALLY!"

"Yes, now sit down and let me tell our guests what happened that day."

* * *

- Flashback no Jutsu -

Lobo, surrounded by five of his personal guards dressed in samurai styled armor and katanas led a large group of men were making their way across the bridge and were confronted by the villages led by Tazuna and Inari.

"Well well well. It's so nice of you to welcome your new master."

One of Lobo's personal guards sliced the crossbow bolt shot by Inari and Lobo wasn't even phased.

"Get lost! The likes of you aren't welcome in Wave," yelled Inari followed by supporting cheers from the villagers.

"Hmph. You miserable insects will learn your place. I have over a thousand men; you fools don't stand a chance."

"We will never give up! This bridge was named in honor of the person who taught us to fight for what we believe in and hold dear! SO DO YOUR WORST!" Tazuna challenged.

"Hn. Kill them." Lobo ordered and his men ran pass him towards the gathered villages while his guards remained.

A few arrows flew towards the men striking down a few of them but not enough to slow down the column of charging men, the villagers braced themselves to clash with the mercenaries.

But a bright flash and loud high pitch screech stopped everything and before anyone could recover, shouts of pain were heard form the mercenaries. The villagers looked up and noticed that a few of the gangsters had kunais and shurikens stuck in them but none of them were dead.

Naruto appeared (de-cloaked) in all his armored and masked glory, "So you're the scumbag that's trying to move into Wave."

"Who the Hell are you!"

"A Hunter. And you have a nice bounty on your head I aim to collect."

"Ya right. As if one man can face this army, don't make me laugh. KILL THEM!"

"I am not alone."

Screams of terror were heard from the back of the column, behind Lobo. Those that turned around saw their comrades being pounced on by some Drones before killing some while others disappeared in puffs of smoke.

"What the Hell are those thi..AHHH!" one of the thugs yelled before he was pulled over the side of the bridge.

More Drones climbed up the sides of the bridge, pulling men over the sides, charged forward and disappearing in puffs of smoke or killing them where they stood. Some of the thugs managed to kill and wound some of the Drones only to discover the dangers of their acid blood.

Several men decided to charge Naruto, weapons ready. Naruto reached into his cloak and threw a bunch of kunais and shurikens, bringing down some of the men before they were captured by some Drones.

Naruto extended his wrist-blades and charged forward slashing at their knees, ankle and arm tendons leaving them bleeding on the ground. He extended his right wrist-blades further and with one swing sliced off the head and arm off a man before reversing the blades and with a backhand sliced another man's head in three.

More men charged the young Predator; these men were luckier than most of their comrades as they received a swift death. More were cut down by his shoulder cannon. Soon nothing was left but blood, gore and a small band of thugs around Lobo and his guards.

Lobo for a lack of a better description was scared shitless, "Now I'm sure we can make a deal."

The Predator wiped the blood off his blades before retracting them and his shoulder cannon as he walked towards the group, "Alright… The one to bring me Lobo's head, lives."

The thugs looked at each other before some of them charged Lobo but were cut down by Lobo's guards. The rest decided to take a chance tried to run away only to be caught by some Drones hiding over the sides of the bridge.

Two of the guards ran forward swords raised and brought them down but were blocked by Naruto's Combi stick. He pushed them off before throwing a small sliver sphere on the ground which created a cloud of smoke.

"Kage Kunai no Jutsu!" That was the last thing the two guards heard before being caught in a shower of kunais.

Four Warriors attacked Lobo, one of the guards grabbed Lobo and jumped put of the way while one managed cut off the arms and head of one of the Warriors, avoiding the spray of blood but was caught by another and disappeared.

The last guard stabbed one of the Warriors in the chest before spinning around and cutting it in half. He jumped out of the way of another Warrior's tail but was caught in a burst of wind from Naruto, cutting all his tendons.

Lobo looked on in terror only to hear a sudden intake of breath and a spray of something warm behind him. He turned around and saw the Predator had somehow gotten behind and stabbed his last line of protection with his spear.

"Please. We can talk about this. What do you wa…"

Naruto walked over and picked Lobo's head off the floor and sealed it in a scroll."

"Who are you?" Inari asked as he walked towards the Hunter.

"You've grown strong Inari." The Hunter disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

* * *

- Flashback Kai -

"So we made that statue in honor of the second hero of Wave but who knew it was Naruto all along. Hahaha… I have to have that plaque changed and announce it to the whole village." Tazuna proclaimed, "He'll be an even bigger hero than before."

"Naruto-aniki's really gotten strong."

"Naruto-sama truly is great."

"And that was almost a year ago." Gai asked.

"Yes, it was a few weeks after I received word that Konoha had finally punished those responsible for running Naruto out of your village. Sometimes I wish he'd taken up our invitation of staying at Wave."

"Wait! You got in contact with Naruto?"

"Not directly. When it was obvious that Konoha was not going to do anything about Naruto, messagers were sent out to try and find Naruto; ads and posters were placed in every village we could. We were about to give up but six months after we started, I found a letter from Naruto. He thanked us for our offer and that he would visit some day."

Kakashi sighed, "There goes a possible lead."

"Anyway, why don't all of you keep your stuff in your rooms then we can meet for dinner in the dining area."

"Thank you."

The group joined Tazuna, Inari and Tsunami in the dining room where they ate and traded stories before the family excused themselves for the night.

"I've been wondering, why is he so insistent on taking prisoners when he has no qualms about killing people." Shikamaru wondered.

"Hmm… That's true. It is not likely for information considering that they were low ranking members and it can't be for the bounty since most of the lower ranks will either not have bounties on them or have very small ones." Shino added.

"He even chased those three back to Konoha. If he just wanted to keep his existence a secret it would be better to kill the witnesses than capture them." Asuma lit a cigarette.

"Asuma-sensei can you not smoke at the dinner table." Ino complained as she grabbed the cigarette and threw it out the window.

Kurenai giggled at Asuma's sigh of defeat.

"I've also been wondering." Choji started, "Don't you think he was a little careless with his first group of Angels? I mean he just stood there and let them do all the fighting though in the end they did take some of us out of the fight."

"Don't remind me." Ino groaned, "I don't ever want to look into one of these things' mind again."

"Hmm… The most likely possibility is that he wanted to test us or did not think it was necessary. I doubt Naruto will be so uncaring as to throw away the lives of his summons needlessly." Kakashi offered.

"But I don't think this is the same Naruto we all knew before." Sasuke offered taking a sip of his tea.

"I think we can ask him that when we find him for now we have to think of other possible locations… What about Snow?" Sakura suggested.

"That's not a bad idea considering that other than Wave and Suna, Snow would welcome Naruto with open arms."

"But why not Suna?" Lee asked.

"Though Suna has been our Ally since the Sound War, they did not care about what happened to Naruto till Gaara took over so it's most likely that he would have to set-up his base else where."

"Let talk about his Angels for a moment." Kurenai offered, "I've never heard of any summons like the ones Naruto used. Have any of you?"

Everyone shook their heads having never heard or even read about such summons before.

"There is someone we can ask." And quickly summoned Pakkun.

"Yo."

Everyone greeted Pakkun and started to describe the creature that Naruto used, hoping that he might be able to shed some light on them.

"I've never heard of such creatures before and mind you all summon creatures know about each other. We may not like each other but we do know about each other."

"This is troubling. We hardly have any information with can use to gauge Naruto's strengths and weakness except from what little we saw with Kakashi and the story Tazuna-sama told us." Asuma brought up.

"He seems to have weapons and skills at his disposal that I doubt any of us would expect him to have."

"He is Konoha's most hyperactive and unpredictable ninja." Kakashi pointed out.

"Still his kenjutsu skill sound quite impressive considering the stories I've hear."

"Admit it Tenten you just want to get your hands on a couple of his toys." Ino teased the blushing girl.

"What troubles me the most is his summons. Quick, silent, almost undetectable, acid for blood and tough. What are those things and if they're the lower ranking summons, what would a higher ranking one be like?"

* * *

The Konoha group gathered outside of Tazuna's home and bid him and his family farewell before heading off towards Snow.

"Wait!" Kiba stopped jumping and started to sniff around along with Akamaru.

"What is it Kiba?"

"I thought I smelled one of those things just now." The group turned their attention to a barking Akamaru on the ground.

"Good work boy. This is definitely the scent of one of those things." The group quickly followed the duo while Hinata and Neji took turns using their Byakugan to conserve energy.

"The trail ends here." Kiba dug around the area where the scent ended and found a trap-door and was about to open it but was stopped by Kakashi.

"Hold it. It could be booby-traped." Kakashi made a shadow clone and the group leap away and it opened the door.

When they thought that it was safe the jumped down the trap-door and turned on their torches and found that they were in a long corridor curved out of the rock and was wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side and just slightly taller than they were, not the best place to hide and sneak around.

Thankfully as they travelled down the corridor there ended up in a circular room with several doors and made of metal with grids and glyphs and dark bone-like patterns.

Kiba and Akamaru sniffed around a bit before turning to the group, "It's no good the whole place smells of those things it's like this whole place is made out of 'em."

"Hmm… if that's the case, Hinata, Neji activate your Byakugan and scout ahead, keep an eye out for those things. Shino send some of your bugs up front as well. Kiba can you at least pick up Naruto's scent?"

Kiba and Akamaru sniffed around a bit before turning to the group again, "I think we got him. This way."

They moved towards the center door and felt around before a panel lit up and door opened. The ninja jumped away from the door in case of any danger. When nothing happened Kiba was about to enter when he was stopped.

"Hold it." Gai held up his hand, "Is it clear?"

Neji scouted around and Shino sent in a few bugs. "Someone's in there."

"Ya I see him, he's sitting on a throne. It looks like he's thinking."

"Or waiting. It's been easy getting in here, too easy. Any sign of those creatures?" Kakashi asked.

"No. It looks clear."

The group entered the room and kept their guard up. The room was smaller than the hall they were in earlier and it looked to be covered in the bone-like patterns and only the floor was metal compared to the hall which was a fair mix of both.

"I've been waiting for you." The Hunter spoke not moving his head which rested on his hand.

"We're not here to fight unless we have to." Asuma spoke, stepping forward and showing that he was unarmed.

"Sending four teams, it's either you're weak and hope that numbers will make up for it or you're here for an all out fight." Kiba looked ready to shout something but the Predator continued, "But seeing who she sent, it's most likely baa-chan is hoping that you guys can talk to me without a fight, am I right?"

Naruto stood and pulled back his hood revealing his spiky blonde hair with two metal bands across the back of his head which held the mask in place. With a hiss the bands started to retract and fold to the sides of the mask.

Naruto reached up and pulled off the mask revealing cool hard eyes and a somewhat grim expression. His whisker marks were slightly thicker and his face had none of the baby fat that it once held.

"Naruto." Sakura whispered, hardly believing that he was really there.

"Hey dobe."

"Teme." Naruto smirked slightly.

"Naruto is that really you?" Kakashi asked.

"In the flesh."

"Naruto-kun, we're hear to talk and to try and bring you back to Konoha." Kurenai said.

"Do you see a forehead protector on me? What makes you think I want to go back?"

"True but I don't see you wearing one with the village symbol slashed out which is the standard sign of missing-nin ending their loyalty to their village."

"Just give up and come with us, Naruto. We outnumber you and can take you down before you can summon those things!" Kiba yelled.

"You dare challenge me in my OWN DOMAIN!" Naruto snapped his fingers and the walls and ceilings started to move.

One thought crossed everyone's minds, "Fuck."

TBC

* * *

A/N:

I've had some guesses who will be in the harem but let me tell who will NOT be in the harem:  
Kurenai  
Tsunade  
Hanabi  
Moegi  
'Dead' Girls (dead at the point of this fic. e.g. Kin, Tayuya, Fem Haku)  
'Movie' Girls (e.g. Shion, Fuun)  
Yugito  
Yugao

These are not up for debate/voting unless there's a damn good idea to use/include them I won't. Don't get me wrong like have read some very nice fics involving most of the above girls but I don't think I will be using them.


	3. Making Amends

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and/or AVP.

---- - ----

Naruto snapped his fingers and the walls and ceilings started to move and countless numbers of Drones made their presence known; even the passageway the Konoha nin walked through earlier was completely blocked.

One thought crossed everyone's minds, "Fuck."

"KIBA YOU IDIOT!" Ino yelled before she started to look around frantically.

"I thought the two of you said the room was clear!" Tenten yelled at Shino and Neji.

"It was clear I didn't see any movement or chakra."

"Neither did I."

"Shit we're surrounded! There must be hundreds of them." Choji yelled immediately regretting it when he noticed that Ino looked like she was going to have a heart attack on the spot.

"Troublesome. We're dead."

They turned their head towards Sakura when they heard her pouch hit the ground, followed by her kunai and shuriken holder on her thigh then her gloves, she was completely unarmed.

She started to walk towards Naruto till a Warrior dropped in front of her and stood up to her eye level, extending its tongue. Though she was panicking and frightened out of her mind Sakura remained calm. If she was going to die today, she was at least going to tell Naruto how sorry she was.

"I'm sorry Naruto." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness after everything that's happened and especially what I put you through."

The Warrior backed away as Naruto got off his throne and walked towards Sakura, not that she noticed. Naruto extended his right wrist blades and brought them up to her face and lightly ran them down the side of her face.

"I took for granted that you would always be there for me and I treated you like crap and I never realized till you were gone how important you were in my life. It hasn't been the same since you left and I've regretted every moment of it."

She heard him extend his blade longer and rotated them. She prepared herself for death, "I'm sorry Naruto." She felt her tears slide down her face.

Sakura felt Naruto take a swing at her but for some reason she did not feel any pain, she opened her eyes and noticed that her hair had been cut and the ruminants lay on the floor while Naruto had his back to them, a lock of pink hair in his hand.

"I preferred your hair short."

Naruto sat on his throne as the Drones backed away and returned to their hiding places except for those that block the entrance.

"You get one more chance. What do you want?"

"Naruto what happened to you?" Kakashi asked.

"That is a long story, one for a later time and if it is information you want, it has a price."

"What are these things?" Shikamaru asked.

"These are my Angels of the Apocalypse or more precisely beings from the stars or Aliens."

Everyone's eye widened at that but kept quiet hoping that Naruto would continue.

"This lair was a starship that crashed here hundreds maybe even a thousand years ago and with it my Angels. Now answer me this, what are your orders?"

"We were sent to see who you were and what are your intentions?" Shikamaru answered, "What are your intentions?"

"Quite simple really, after building up my forces and skills I will make my present known to the rest of the Shinobi Nation probably by destroying one of the other hidden villages then see the reactions. I'm pretty sure there'll be some villages who'd welcome me as part of their village even if it's a small Nation, they can be built-up."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Hn. I could always take over a village but I'm pretty sure Wave will accept me at least. That was two, my turn. Now that you know who I am and my intentions what are you going to do about it?"

"Naruto, those responsible for what happened to you have been punished…"

"Do you mean the council?" Naruto interrupted Asuma, "Cause they are the ones really responsible. Encouraging the village's hatred and fear, protecting would-be assassins as well as ordering their own."

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked.

"I've had more assassination attempts on my life than all the Kages in all the Elemental Nations combined. Isn't that right, Inu-san?" He looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed wondering how Naruto knew his old ANBU codename, "Yes within the first month of his birth Naruto Uzumaki had a hundred and twenty-seven attempts made on his life, most of which were stopped by my ANBU squad."

The Konoha 11 and Kurenai stared in shock; Gai and Asuma were on some of the other ANBU squads that watched Naruto from time to time so they weren't surprised by the statistics.

"By the time Naruto made Genin, the assassination attempts had stopped but including the beatings from the mobs, the total number of assassination attempts stood at one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six."

The gasp from the women echoed throughout the room.

"Those were the ones that are known. It's a good thing that I'm immune to all but the deadliest poisons."

"Naruto will you come back to Konoha?" Kakashi asked.

"One, I am not the same Naruto you used to know. Two, until the Council members who have made my life a living hell and tried to end it pay, I have no interesting in dealing let alone joining Konoha but this can be a start." Naruto reached into his cloak, pulled out a book and threw it to Kakashi who caught it.

Kakashi's eye widened as he flipped through the book, "Naruto, is this?"

"Kakashi what is it?" Gai took the offered book and started to flip through it and raised his overgrowth eyebrows, "A Bingo Book."

Everyone rushed around and took turns flipping through the pages.

"There're members of Konoha's Civilian Council in there."

"Some Chunin and Jounin too."

"Whoa. Even the elders and Donzou are listed."

Asuma whistled, "He has a large number of ROOT's ANBU as well even we don't have sure in-depth information on them."

"As you can see I doubt Konoha will be so welcoming once copies of those are made available… The day after tomorrow." Naruto gave them a somewhat evil smile which unnerved everyone present.

"Naruto is this really necessary?" Kurenai asked.

"Yes it is. You see everyone in that book has either made, ordered an attempt on my life, made it a living hell or are just plain corrupt."

"But Naruto this is almost equal to a declaration of war." Shikamaru warned.

"Is this a problem?" The smile Naruto gave this time was outright terrifying. "The way I see it if Konoha wins the war it's in, it wouldn't be able on put up much of a fight when I go after those people and depending on who's left either I or they will decide Konoha's fate or I could leave it to it's own devices."

No one could believe what Naruto was saying.

"But you wiped out those enemy camps, aren't you on our side?" Choji asked.

Naruto chuckled a little before getting up and walked towards the side of the room and opened a door, "Come with me if you dare."

They followed Naruto through a series of short corridors before stopping in front of a gigantic and heavily fortified door which opened with a series of hisses and metal rods moving out of the way and entered behind him.

They looked up at the nightmare in front of them, she was enormous, standing anywhere from twenty to thirty feet high anchored to the wall by her egg-birthing sac, she was around fifty to seventy feet long from her arrow headed tail to the end of her wide crested head.

She was midnight black in color, her exoskeleton a darker shade and hue as that of her children. She had enormous, taloned feet that gave her upright walking movement, but lay tucked underneath herself near her egg sack, was an enormous, yellow liquid-filled tubular protrusion that housed her species developing eggs before she laid them and they hatched.

She had two pairs of arms, two of them jutting out from massive shoulders and heavily muscled with multiple clawed digits, while her other arms had only a few fingers, and were much smaller and frail looking, jutting out from her chest. Her head was sleek and oblong, like that of her children's, but she had an enormous, fan-like crest that jutted out and merged itself along her skull, her curved mouth slightly reminiscent of a smile.

"Oh. My. God." Both Sakura and Ino backed up while Hinata hid behind Shino and Kiba along with Akamaru.

The Jounin swallowed the lumps in their throat and watched as Naruto approached the monstrosity before them and stroked the side of the Queen's head affectionately, "This is the Queen; she is the must important part of the hive as I'm sure you would understand Shino."

"Their species have slight psychic abilities, a mind link to one another and she used this to control and communicate with her brood from any distance, from several feet to the other side of the planet. It is through this mind link that I communicate with them."

"But Naruto how do you control them?" The Queen turned to look at Tenten who quickly hid behind a stiff as a board Lee.

"That would be thanks to my tenant."

---- Flashback no Jutsu ----

Naruto spun around in time to see a shadow with a long barbed tail jump towards him. "WHAT THE HE…!!!"

Naruto jumped out of the way as Runner landed where he stood earlier and rolled out of the way of the tail strike aimed for his leg. He quickly ran through the door that he had just opened but stopped in his tracks when he saw the Queen.

But remembering the Runner that was behind him, he quickly created a dozen shadow clones and charged the Runner; most were dispelled by a single tail strike.

"RASENGAN!" He drove the sphere right into the chest of the Runner killing it instantly but his entire arm was caught in an acid shower.

Naruto stood up and noticed the Queen slowly raising her head and hiss at Naruto as three Runners and four Warriors appeared around Naruto.

"Oh ya! I'm not going down without a fight. Believe it!" Naruto raised his injured but healing arm and created a dozen shadow clones and charged the Drones.

"**STOP!"**

"What? Kyuubi?"

"**Hold it, Kit. Don't attack those things."**

"What?! They're the ones attacking. What the hell are they anyway?" Surprisingly none of the Drones made a move to attack him or his clones.

"**Those are beings from beyond the stars."**

"Huh?"

"**They're not from this planet, Aliens but once many eons ago they were a plague that caused the death of many Worlds, only we the biju were witness to the death and destruction caused by these things."**

"They're Aliens?"

"**Yes and like I said eons ago they caused the death of many Worlds, like an inter-galactic plague. Destroying World after World."**

"Whoa."

"**Do you see their potential, Kit?"**

"Actually you lost me at Aliens."

"**YOU ARE DUMBER THAN A FUCKING FENCE POST! WHAT PART OF THAT WAS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND? They are ALIENS. They destroy EVERYTHING!"**

"Ooh. Why didn't you just say so?" Naruto could have sworn he heard Kyuubi mumbling something that sounded like 'moron' or 'stupid container'. "Ok, new question, why aren't they attacking?"

"**Because they can sense me in you. When these things first came to this planet, the biju were already around, they tried to wipe us out as well but being Demons made that impossible and they're smart enough to learn from experience. Dispel your clones." **

Naruto dispelled his clones and surprisingly the Drones backed off and lowered themselves into non-aggressive stances and even looked like they were bowing to him as he approached the Queen.

He stared at the Queen silently for a moment before a look of understanding and surprise appeared on his face, "I can understand her and they're willing to follow my lead as long as I ensure the survival of the Hive."

"**Yes and I have just the solution make this work in everyone's' favor."**

"How?"

"**We're making a new Summoning contract."**

---- Flashback Kai ----

"And so with Kyuubi's knowledge and the Queen's support we created a summoning contract that allows me to summon them to do my bidding."

"You… You spoke to the Kyuubi?" Asuma could not believe what he was hearing and reached for his cigarette and lighter.

The Queen hissed when Asuma lit his lighter but it was so soft that a normal person would miss it. Ino reached over and grabbed his lighter.

"Asuma-sensei is this really the time to be smoking?" Though it really wasn't a question.

"Troublesome." Asuma sighed.

"You get use to the troublesome Furball after awhile. He was my main teacher since I left the village."

"**I love you too, Kit. And it's 'IS', you still have a lot to learn."**

"How do you know you can trust Kyuubi?" Gai asked.

"I'm still alive aren't I? And as for why he attacked Konoha… Well in due time."

"But Naruto how did you create a Summoning Contract and wouldn't the Queen be the Boss Summon? And if she is, how is she supposed to face off against other Boss Summons?" Sakura asked.

"I won't bore you with the detail or tell you everything but the Summoning Contract we created isn't the same as say the Toad Contract I signed, it just allows me to bring any number of my Angels as needed to my location. And what they lack in size, they more than make up for in numbers, ferocity and fearlessness."

"But Naruto if she's the Queen and so important to the hive, why is she unguarded?" Kurenai asked.

"You thought I was unguarded as well didn't you." Naruto could hardly keep the smirk off his face when the group started looking around trying to spot the guards. "You may meet the guards another time. They really are quite a sight."

They followed him out of the room, not being able to totally shake the feeling of the underlining threat in his previous statement, and continued down a short corridor.

"Naruto aren't the guards the same as the two kinds we've all ready seen." Shikamaru asked.

"Two kinds?" Tenten and Sakura asked.

"Yes the first batch we fought before Team Kakashi arrived had two types, one kind stood up-right and had those tube or spike things on their back and another lacked the spikes and stayed on all fours like a dog."

"As perceptive and clever as ever Shikamaru. Yes there are two kinds of Drones, the up-right ones are Warriors, they are the foot soldiers of the species they can even learn some taijutsu and though physically weaker than the Warriors the Runners make up for it with great speed and other abilities."

"And the Queen's guards?" Shino asked really interested because of the similarities between the Aliens and some insects.

"The Praetorians. That's a secret." He gave them a foxy grin before continuing.

Naruto stopped in front of another door and turned to face the group, "This is the birthing chamber. Before we enter, I must warn you what you will see inside will be very disturbing and you will see why I said I am not the same Naruto you once knew and to give you an idea of why I took so many prisoners."

"But aren't your Angels born from those eggs we saw earlier in the Queen's chamber?"

"Not quite. They are the start of the life cycle but they need hosts." Before they could ask him what he meant he opened the door and walked in.

The screams of pain, horror and the stench of blood and death should have been the first signs that they should not enter that room but they had to know what was going on so they entered.

So they enter and were greeted by a scene out of a horror movie, bodies were held to the walls by what looked like solidified webbing, some were dead the holes in their chest being the most obvious sign, some had spider-like creatures attached to their faces and many of the same spider-like creatures laid dead on the floor near opened eggs.

Some Warriors were removing the dead from the walls and throwing them down a large pit whiles the dead face-huggers and empty eggs into another. One of those that were still alive gasped and looked at the Konoha nin, it was one of the Iwa nin that was taken from the village.

"Pl… please… kill me. AHHHH!!!" His screams of pain were accompanied by howls of pain from two dogs that were held down by the same webbing.

The chest-buster broke through the chest of the Iwa nin, its scream announcing its violent birth as the wolves literally blew apart as the new born Runners stood up on shaky walks in a sea of blood.

Hinata fainted at the sight, no one caught her as they were too stunned and horrified by the scene before them to move except Kiba and Choji who ran out of the room, fell on their hands and knees and vomited.

Naruto walked up to the dead Iwa nin and allowed the new born chest-buster snake around his arm, "Natural born killers, they live only to serve the hive and survive, ruthless, fearless, no sense of guilt or remorse even their birth is marked by death and blood. They are the perfect weapons."

Ino, Tenten and Lee quickly joined Kiba and Choji outside while Shikamaru kneed down feeling nauseous himself and Neji picked Hinata up and carried her out accompanied by Kurenai.

Naruto approached the group as all the new borns scurried into specially made tunnels which will lead them into many different chambers where they can remain safe till they reach maturity.

Naruto walked pass the nauseous ninjas as a whimpering Akamaru backed away, "I'm feeling a little hungry I think it's time for lunch."

"You're sick man." Kiba wheezed out.

"I think I lost my appetite." Choji said as he tried to get to his feet.

"That was the most awful thing I have ever seen. What happened to Naruto's youthfulness?" Lee spoke in the softest voice anyone had ever heard from him.

"Those things aren't Angels, they're monsters." Tenten nodded in agreement with Ino's statement and reached for a bottle of water.

"He's not the same Naruto we all knew last time." Kurenai checked on Hinata before moving to check on the others. "Do we really want him back in Konoha?"

"Better to have him with us than against us." Asuma pulled out his cigarettes and spare lighter, this time no one stopped him from lighting up even Kurenai and Gai took one.

"I have never seen anything so disturbing before." Gai took a long puff, "But I agree with Asuma; better to have Naruto on our side than against us."

"This Naruto may be darker than the one we used to know but I believe essentially he is still the same Naruto with all knew back then." Kakashi stated as he watched the door to birthing chamber close.

"I hope you're right, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura watched as Naruto disappeared around a corner.

TBC

A/N:

Thanks you everyone whose read and left a review.

Before anyone comments on the explanation/story given about the xenos I will be the first to say, I wasn't my idea, the idea came from an Aliens Dark Horse comic titled 'Angels of the Apocalypse' hence the title of this fic.


	4. Training

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or AvP.

A/N:  
Thanks to everyone of you who read this story and left a review.

Regrading the Dark Horse, Angels of the Apocalypse if I remember correctly it was about a group of scienists who discovered a Space Jockey and trying to learn its' history/technology while another scienist discovered that the Xenos were and intergalatic plague that at one time wiped out all life in the universe including the dinosaurs and is 'infecting' volunteers and other people to try and find a where to stop the next wave. I can remember the ending but in the end the Space Jockey was inpregnanted and a gaint Xeno was born that could hold a 'regular' xeno in its hand and crash it.

Oh and I forgot to address this the last chapter but there will be NO Slash/Yaoi though both my betas are Yaoi fangirls. As for filler girls... We'll have to see I guess (Got to watch a couple of those.)

---- - ----

The Konoha nin sat around the large dining table nervously, all not forgetting the horrifying scenes they had witnessed earlier. Unlike the other parts of the lair, the dining room was wonderfully designed with black marble floors and walls; none of the metal glyphs and grids from before but the four corner pillars had the same bone-like patterns that were in the throne room which they suspected were actually the Aliens hiding in plain sight.

"How did Naruto get all this here without anyone knowing where he hid?" Ino asked.

"The same way I do everything else." Naruto walked through some double doors and was quickly followed by a dozen clones dressed like waiters placing food on the table and a large bowl of ramen on table for him. "Not quite Ichiraku's but it will do."

Naruto started to wolf down his ramen like everyone remembered and had finished his first bowl when he noticed that no one was eating even Choji, "What? The food not to your liking?"

"No, it's not that. It's…"

"It's not poisoned." Naruto interrupted Kurenai, "If I wanted you dead, I would have left you in the birthing chamber." Naruto stated causally as another bowl was placed in front of him.

Everyone paled thinking about the birthing chamber, it was the main reason why no one had any appetite but Choji being a typical Akimichi was the first to get his back and tried some of the pork and beef dishes in front of him, before quickly piling the food on his bowl.

"IT'S GOOD!"

Everyone started to try the food and were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was and started to take more as the clones refilled their dishes and drinks.

"I surprised you have such a room, Naruto." Neji spoke.

"Well you can't really entertain guests in my throne room much now can you, especially if you want to work with them properly." Naruto answered, finishing his forth bowl of ramen.

"Does that mean you'll consider coming back to Konoha with us and rejoining our ranks?" Asuma asked hopefully.

"It's not likely but I can promise you that at least till the end of your current conflict, I will show no more hostiles towards Konoha even if a few strays run your way."

The nin sighed in disappointment though they are still troubled by what they've seen they would still prefer Naruto and his forces be on their side rather than against them though Kiba and Akamaru were a little more apprehensive than the others.

"Naruto… Were all the prisoners… Were they… I mean…" Ino did not know how to phrase what she wanted to ask.

"Yes, those that were taken alive were all used to breed new Drones."

"So for every human you've captured, you're able to create another Drone." Shino stated.

"More or less." Shino and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "As you saw, it's not just humans that can be hosts though dogs, wolves, large cats and most other four legged predator will give rise to Runners while almost everything else will spawn Warriors."

Those that did the math were shocked at the possible number of Drones Naruto had at his disposal and those were assuming he did not have anymore surprises or taken more people without them knowing. Still the possibility of even a few hundred maybe even a thousand of those thing was a scenario that none of them wanted to face.

"Did it have to be dogs…" Kiba mumbled to himself.

"Don't worry Kiba I won't use Akamaru."

"But still those things are monsters!" Kiba yelled.

"Maybe so by most people's standards but that is the way they are, they are what they are by nature, not by choice, and since I've taken control, no innocent child or person has played host to them so I would think very carefully before speaking especially if you're going to make comparisons between my Angels and myself with say… Orochimaru."

Everyone thought about what Naruto said. If it was true about the history of these creatures, the only thing stand between the human race and a potential wave of extinction is Naruto.

"Naruto-kun really hasn't changed; he's still so strong and protecting everyone." Hinata thought as a blush crept across her face.

"Sorry…" Kiba mumbled.

"Apology accepted." Naruto smiled, it was a sight that everyone had missed seeing.

"By the way Naruto, who prepared all this?" Sakura asked hoping that a change in topic will lighten the mood.

"I did." Naruto answered matter-of-factly.

"Really? How?" Ino like the rest could hardly believe that the ramen addict that they all knew could prepare something that wasn't ramen and make it good.

"I used shadow clones to learn different skills during my time away from the village as well as train so I was able to pick up a variety of skills to make my life more comfortable and one of them was cooking."

The conversation around the table mainly centered around what Naruto had been doing and what he's learned especially his shinobi skills and from Kyuubi. Though he was fairly elusive and vague with some points.

"I'll have one of my clones bring you to your rooms afterwards."

---- - ----

"This shall be your quarters for the duration of your stay." Naruto opened the door to a spacious well furnished hall that had two doors on either side leading to bedrooms and another on the right with led to an additional bathroom.

"These rooms are nice." Ino looked around a room, "Could use some windows with a view though."

"I give you my word, no face-hugger or any of my Angels will enter your rooms unless necessary." The clone promised before dispelling itself.

The Konoha nin gathered in the adjoining hall and started to discuss their current situation and what actions they were going to do.

"What do you think he meant by face-hugger?" Ino asked.

"I believe he was referring to those things from the eggs that impregnate the host for those creatures." Shino suggested.

"Yes those things are small enough to move through the air vents in our rooms." Gai pointed out.

"Then… Then… what are we going to do?" Ino panicked and looked for any vents that could be used as an entrance point.

"I think we can booby-trap them to alert us if anything comes through but I trust Naruto." Kakashi suggested. "Tenten, Sasuke, you two secure all the vents. Everyone else check the room for any listening devices and anything else that may pose a risk."

Everyone did as instructed and after awhile felt that they were safe for now and gathered back in the hall.

"I think we need to convince Naruto to either delay the publishing of his Bingo book or stop its spread altogether."

"What can we do short of trying to steal it?" Neji asked.

"I'm thinking that we might have to offer him something." Kakashi suggested.

"But what?"

"I'll have to think about it. Anyway what do we know about these creatures so far."

"They're Aliens that use humans and other mammals for hosts."

"They are fast, strong, stealthy and nature killers."

"Their chakra networks can't be seen or detected by the Byakugan."

"They have an insect-like social structure with the Queen as the egg layer and Naruto as their ruler."

"They have different castes. The Drones that come in two forms, a royal guard caste that we have not seen and the Queen."

"I think those things are afraid or at least don't like fire." Everyone turned to Shikamaru, "I think some of you noticed the way the Queen hissed at Asuma-sensei when he wanted to light-up in her chamber." The Jounin nodded.

"So if we fight those things again we should try to use more fire jutsus?" Sasuke suggested.

"I think that's a good suggestion but there are only a few of us here that can use fire jutsus well enough." Gai pointed out.

"I believe the Hokage would prefer a diplomatic solution rather than a confrontation." Everyone kept quiet and gave Shino their full attention. "Because of the high probability that the Hunter was Naruto, she sent us to talk with him and even if it was not Naruto she would most likely want us to gather information considering our skills. And in case of a confrontation it would be prudent that we retreat since most of us are close to mid-range fighters and those creatures have the advantage in a hand-to-hand situation."

Everyone could see the logic in Shino's assessment but then again Shino is an Aburame.

"There was something else I noticed in the birthing chamber." Everyone turned their attention to Shikamaru, "There were no women in there."

"So?"

"If those things can be born from humans why would there only be males in there?"

"Maybe they can't use females." Ino suggested sounding hopeful.

"I doubt that. Those creatures remind me a lot of my own insects and as far as I know hosts for parasitic life-forms are not limited by gender." Shino pointed out.

"But if that's the case then what does he use them for?" Sasuke wondered.

"I know what I would do if I had all those Kunoichis at my disposal." Kiba had a perverted look on his face and a drop of blood appeared from his nose.

"HENTAI!!!" The Kunoichis excluding Hinata showed Kiba what they thought about his idea.

"I doubt Naruto would do something like that." Kakashi defeated Naruto.

"True but what does he do with the women then?" Asuma wondered.

---- - ----

Naruto leaned on a railing overseeing the training area where about fifty of his clones were training with some Warriors in taijutsu and others were doing different chakra control exercises.

"You know who my father is, don't you Kakashi-sensei?" He spoke without turning around.

"I haven't been your sensei for awhile now Naruto and even back then I wasn't a good one was I?"

"Maybe a little after all, you spent most of your time training Sasuke."

"I know and I was wondering if you'd give me another chance to try and make it up to you?"

"And what's the catch?"

"Originally there wasn't one but the other Jounin want to head back tomorrow and inform the Hokage about your Bingo book. I was hoping that you'll hold it off for a week while we train and let some of them head back to Konoha."

"Fair enough but they will not be allowed to leave till three days after we start training." Naruto held out his hand.

"Deal." Kakashi shook Naruto's hand.

"You know, Kakashi-sensei you didn't answer my question."

Kakashi just smiled and held up a Rasengan while Naruto smirked and held up a perfect one-handed Rasengan as well.

---- - ----

"I'm staying behind to train Naruto." Kakashi declared much to the surprise of everyone present as he entered the hall.

"Kakashi, I know you want to make it up to Naruto for your supposed mistakes but we should be reporting back to the Hokage." Asuma countered.

"I know but hear me out. I managed to convince Naruto to at least delay the release date by at least a week. I might be able to extend it, in exchange for this training but you guys can't leave for Konoha for three days." Kakashi explained.

"So if I can get him to trust me some more it might be easier to get him to come back with us. And before anyone says otherwise, I'm not just doing this for Konoha's sake, it's for mine and Naruto's."

"But still should you really stay here, Kakashi?"

"It will buy you some time to get back to the village before the Bingo book gets out."

"If that's the case then I'm staying as well." Sakura spoke up and gave everyone a determined look.

"Guess I'm staying too. Can't leave you and Kakashi-sensei alone with the Dobe."

"Err… Gai-sensei I'd like to stay behind as well." Tenten raised her hand.

"Ano… So would I." Hinata spoke up.

"If Hinata-sama is staying then I will remain as well." Neji's voice left no room for argument.

"Sigh… I might as well stay behind as well to watch over the girls and back Kakashi up when he's with Naruto."

Kakashi and the other Jounin nodded, "It's settled then. The rest of you will make preparations to leave in three days while we stay back and try to either gather more information and/or earn Naruto's trust."

---- - ----

Kakashi and Naruto stood in the middle of a large clearing; none of the other Konoha nin were with them.

"Tell me Naruto, what do you know about elemental chakra?"

"Enough I guess."

"Do you know what your affinity is?"

"My main affinity is Wind."

"Main affinity? So you have more than one. What are they?"

"For me to know and for you to find out."

"Fair enough." Kakashi held up a Rasengan, "The Rasengan created by the fourth Hokage, Rank A Assassination Jutsu but what most people don't know is that it is also an incomplete jutsu."

Naruto looked surprised at the fact that the Rasengan was incomplete; Ero-sennin never mentioned that.

"Your father wanted to add his elemental affinity to Rasengan but the Kyuubi attacked before he could do so, so it is up to you to complete your father's work." Naruto nodded. "Normally, creating a new technique of such a high level will take years but since you know the secret of the Shadow Clones and with your chakra reserves, you should be able to finish it even sooner."

"Alright let's get started."

"Create as many shadow clones as you can without draining yourself too much, you still need enough chakra to create a Rasengan."

"Yosh! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." At least a thousand Narutos phased into existence.

Kakashi looked around, "No matter how many times I see this, I'm still amazed at the sheer number of them."

"Alright. Let's get started guys." The original ordered and everyone started to form a Rasengan in their hand.

---- - ----

"Yes that's right and there's a sealed door here and here and a vent that goes from here to here." Neji pointed out as Asuma added the details to the map they were drawing.

Lee and Shino entered the room, followed shortly by Hinata and Ino and they too added what they've learnt.

"YO Kakashi!" Gai greeted as said Jounin entered the room. "How was the training with Naruto-kun?"

"He's made little progress but that is to be expected."

"What are you teaching him anyway?"

"He is trying to complete the Rasengan."

"Complete the Rasengan?" Asuma's voice matched the stunned expression of everyone present.

"Yes the Rasengan as powerful as it is now is actually incomplete. The Fourth did not have a chance to add his elemental affinity to it. That is what I'm having Naruto do."

"But creating a technique of that level can take years." Kurenai pointed out.

"Yes but with Shadow clones he can cut the time down and the fact that he already knows some elemental jutsus will make it even faster."

"But still how many shadow clones can he make and still create a Rasengan each?" Sakura asked.

"I counted at least a thousand earlier so I have little doubt that he will complete it in less time."

"But still, should you really be helping him gain such a powerful technique?" Kurenai asked.

"It's his right." Some wanted to ask what he meant but he continued, "How have you been while I was gone?"

"We've set about trying to map out as much of this compound as we can, no one moves in anything less than pairs and so far this is a fairly large compound bigger than the Hyuuga compound at least." Asuma reported.

"What about guards and restricted areas?"

"He's let us wonder around quite freely though they are a few areas that we can't get access to and some of the tunnels are either too small or too numerous to map." Neji showed the map that they had made.

"Should we really be doing this?" Sakura voiced out, "He is showing us an awful lot of trust by letting us wonder around as freely as he does. Should we be taking advantage of that like we are?"

"Sakura's right. I hate to think that we may have to fight Naruto some day… What?" Everyone gave Sasuke a look that said 'You're kidding right?' "Ok fine. The point is we're trying to get him on our side, also think about it, most of this place has the same bone-like designs that were in the throne room, who's to say that every square foot of this place that has those designs isn't crawling with those things."

Everyone paled at the thought but it would make sense, their rooms did not have any of those designs and that would mean that Naruto would most likely know what they were doing since those things would report back to him.

"Regardless, I think we need to gather whatever information we can. Hopefully, it's a precaution we'll never need."

---- - ----

That night Naruto returned to the clearing and created almost double the number of clones he created earlier.

"You all know what to do."

"Yosh!" Half the clones shunshin-ed away from the clearing while the rest continued what they were doing earlier in the day.

"**We should thank that sensei of yours, if he did not tell as that little tidbit about the Rasengan we would never have thought about the improvements we're making now."**

"Yes we should. I'll think of a way later."

"**For now let's make sure you perfect your new techniques."**

TBC

A/N:  
Chapter 5 will be out in about two weeks my beta says it's the best chapter yet. Hope you'll agree.


	5. History Lesson

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or AVP.

A/N:  
I wasn't planning on publishing this till next week but since it's ready and its my birthday I think I'll just post it anyway.

Just to clear some stuff up:  
1. The Queen's personal guards are the Praetorians not the Predalien (Predator/Alien Hydrid), they're a different caste.

2. As for Naruto being less cold/distant, it wasn't intentional at first but he has to get closer to them if there's going to be a reasonable-semble to a relationship with the girls. Also think of this side of his personality as a diplomat, like it was discribled in the story, parts of the Hive were designed to house people/diplomats for him to meet and discuss matters but I promise you will see the dark Naruto again and I promise more 'ice' and blood in the future.

Thanks to all those who have offered their sugguestions and help, I might be contacting some of you soon for your ideas causing I have been thinking of up-grading some of Naruto's tech like his armor, after he attacks a village.

Thanks for the reviews (minus 1 or 2 XD).

---- - ----

"I'd like you to hand this to the Hokage personally, no one else is allowed to read it before her." Naruto handed Asuma a scroll which he accepted.

"I promise Naruto."

It's been three days since Naruto had started his training with Kakashi so as agreed the Konoha nin were gathered outside one of the many small tunnels that radiated out from the Hive.

"Well we're off then."

"I'd wish you a safe journey but I think we better take care of unwelcomed company first." Naruto answered their confused looks by firing a couple of plasma bolts at some trees which forced six Hunter-nin to jump out of the trees.

"How did you know we were there? We covered our scent and suppressed our chakra." The Hunter-nin who was the leader asked.

"You can suppress your chakra and mask your scent but I can still sense you."

"It doesn't matter. Your heads will fetch fine bounties."

"So you're from Iwa." Asuma drew his knives, "Do you really think that the six of you can take all of us? We have five Jounin and eleven Chunin here."

"We'll see." Three of the Hunters threw a hail storm of kunais and shurikens while two created a dozen mud clones and the last ones summoned six tigers.

"You're not the only one that can summon." Just as Naruto said that, a dozen Drones ran out of the entrance.

"What the hell are those things?" One of the Hunters asked the leader.

"Who cares?! Get them."

The Drones and Chunin made short work of the clones and summons. One of the Hunters singled out Ino and threw six kunais at her.

Ino dodged the kunais but messed up her landing and fell over. "OW!" Ino grabbed her ankle.

The Hunter-nin jumped forward, kunai ready to stab Ino but was saved by two Runners tackling him in mid-air and pinning him to the ground. He tried to get up but a tongue-strike to the shoulder prevented him from getting away.

She thanked them more out of reflex than actual gratitude. When she thought about it, Naruto did say they were intelligent but did they understand her?

Neji strike two of the clones destroying one of them while the other was destroyed by several shurikens to the back from Tenten. While Lee fought another clone to a stand-still before it was double-teamed by Lee and Hinata.

Naruto extended his combi stick and blocked a dual Kunai strike from one of the Hunter-nin.

"Who are you? You don't seem to be from Konoha." The Hunter-nin jumped back to avoid a swipe from his stuff.

"I left Konoha years ago."

"So you're a missing-nin then. Why don't you join us?" He dodged a thrust and threw three shurikens.

Naruto deflected the shurikens with his stuff. "No thanks. Not interested." And fired a plasma bolt from his left gauntlet that caught the nin by surprise, seriously wounding him.

Two more Hunter-nin fell to the ground while the leader and other survivor jumped back and took stock of the situation.

"Shit! This is bad." He pointed out the survivor.

"Damn! Retreat!"

"Don't let them get away!" Naruto ordered as a dozen Drones chased after the fleeing Hunters.

"Are you ok Ino?" Asuma asked as Sakura checked her injuries.

"I can heal her but she should stay off her foot for at least a couple of hours."

"Looks like you're staying put, Ino." Asuma told her.

"Great."

"Take them to the chambers." Naruto ordered which sent a chill down everyone's spine before he turned to Ino, "Here I'll help you." He picked her up bridal style and carried her back as the other left.

"Thanks." Ino blushed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Only two people noticed the jealous somewhat defended look that appeared on Hinata's face and but not the slight twitch in Sakura's eye.

---- - ----

"How about a spar, Dobe?"

"I guess I can spare a few minutes to whoop your ass."

"No summoning and that includes your Angels."

"Fine. No weapons." Sasuke grunted and got on a stance.

Naruto took off his cloak, removed his gauntlets and plasma caster before getting into a defensive stance. They stared at each other for a moment before turning to Sakura, "Well? Are you going to start the match or what?"

"Huh? What? Oh okay. Start!"

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Dragon Missile Jutsu!"

Water broke through some of the pipes hidden in the walls behind Naruto and the elemental projectiles clashed into each other most neutralizing each other but some of the water shots made it through forcing Sasuke to dodge them and block the hard flying roundhouse kick that Naruto threw through the white cloud that formed from their previous attack but was thrown back by lightning that suddenly surrounded Sasuke, shocking him.

"Ahh! What the hell?!"

"How do you like my Chidori Nagashi?"

Naruto slowly got to his feet, "Not bad. I see you modified your Chidori."

"You're not the only one that's been training hard and this is not the only new jutsu in my arsenal."

"Hey Forehead what's going on?" Ino asked walking next to Sakura with the other Konoha nin.

"Hey Ino-pig. Sasuke and Naruto are having a spar and it looks like Sasuke's upping the ante."

"CHIDORI SENDON!"

"That might be a bad move." Kakashi commented.

"Wind Style: Hurricane!" With a hard uppercut swing Naruto created winds strong enough to blow the senbons back towards the slightly off balanced Sasuke.

"Shit!" Sasuke had no chose but to active his Sharingan to dodge the incoming Senbons.

"I see you activated your Sharingan. Guess you're getting serious."

"Aren't you? I say we're pretty evenly matched with one element each that's strong against the other."

"True." Naruto brought his leg behind him ready to charge forward in a burst of speed.

"This is getting interesting." Kakashi commented as he revealed his Sharingan.

Naruto launched forward as half a dozen Shadow clones appeared behind him and rushed pass him. Each throwing punches and kicks when they got close enough but were blocked and quickly disposed off by Sasuke who was keeping count. Suddenly Sasuke was completely surrounded by darkness.

"What the… Genjutsu? Since when could he use Genjutsu and why can't my Sharingan see through it." Sasuke thought as he looked around to find Naruto.

"If you're wondering." Naruto's disembodied voice sounded like it came from all around Sasuke before ending up behind him, "It's not a Genjutsu."

Sasuke spun around just in time to see Naruto take a claw-handed swipe at his face, "Dark Style: Eternal Darkness!"

"What the heck is that?" Ino asked as a sphere of darkness surrounded the match area. "Genjutsu?"

"Since when could Naruto use Genjutsu?"

"No it's not a Genjutsu." Kurenai was about to explain but was interrupted by a scream of terror and the sphere disappeared revealing a panicked Sasuke holding his arms out trying to feeling around.

"I CAN'T SEE! I CAN'T SEE! I'M BLIND!"

The other nin quickly jumped forward to try and calm Sasuke down when Sakura looked into his eyes and gasped. The normal bright though hard eyes of Sasuke were dull, grey and lifeless.

"Hold on. I'll heal you."

"Don't bother. Kai!"

The color returned to Sasuke's eyes and he breathed a sigh of relief, "What the hell was that?"

"That was one of my moves, Eternal Darkness. It takes away the sight of my intended target for as long as I want or till I am defended."

The explanation sent a chill down the spines of the Dojutsu users, the idea that such a technique existed with the sole purpose of blinding a target was not something they were comfortable with.

---- - ----

"So what happened after I hurled your ass back to the village?" Naruto asked as Sasuke watched Naruto's clones training.

"Well from what Sakura told me, most of guys reported to the Hokage including the Sand siblings and she told them about Kyuubi."

"That's why you guys didn't look surprised."

"What did you expect dobe? Us to run away cowering as if you were Kyuubi itself? No, we accepted that you were just the container and not the demon itself." Naruto couldn't help but smile as Sasuke continued, "I was in hospital for about a week before Jiraiya came and suppressed my cursed seal then there was my trial…."

"Trial? I would think that the Council would give you little more than a slap on the wrist or a 'Don't do that again.' What was it, a show trial?"

"Kinda. The fucking Civilian Council was ready to do like you said but at the end of it all, I was placed under house-arrest for a month. Even then they were up in arms. Not that I cared."

"Why would that be?"

"Naruto, when I said you were my best friend back at the Valley of the End, I wasn't lying and I was ready to consider you as my brother and once my head was clear, I wasn't happy when Sakura told me what the villagers did."

"Nice to know you cared so much."

"So you and Sakura together?" Naruto asked, casually turning around and leaned his back against the railing.

"What? She hasn't told you? What have you two been talking about the last two days?"

"Hey I was busy training and only talked to her twice if you can even call those conversations. Most of the time, she would tell me how sorry she was and watch me work."

"No. We aren't together. She did try to convince me to try and give it a chance but I didn't think it was right to give her false hope though I didn't think her heart was in it as much as it used to be. I had to tell her every last bloody detail of how I honestly tried to kill you; even shoving the Chidori into your chest." Both of them winced at the memory.

"Thank Kami I dodged at the last second."

"You and me both dobe. Sigh… She denied it for awhile and when she finally accepted it… Sigh… She completely broke down and kept saying it was all her fault. Kakashi-sensei had to knock her out and it took a few sessions with a counselor before she was fit enough to return to active duty and she became Tsunade-sama's apprentice."

"I'm glad she got better."

"Have you stopped loving her like you used to?"

Naruto got a far away look on his face as if wondering but didn't answer Sasuke.

"You know we really missed you and I have to admit, you've gotten strong. Guess we can't call you the dead last anymore can we, dobe?" Sasuke joked.

"Since when do you joke? Anyway thanks Teme. I'll catch up with you later." Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hn. Shadow clone."

---- Clearing Outside Hive ----

"Hold it… Hold it…" Naruto chanted as sweat poured from his brow as he tried to add elemental manipulation to his Rasengan in his hand before it completely fell apart along with all the other Rasengans his clones held.

"Goddamn it!" He fell to his knees exhausted and the clones dispelled, "This is freaking impossible. It's like trying to look left and right at the same time! At this rate it'll take years!"

"**Easy Kit. This kind of thing takes years to master."**

"C'mon Naruto. This kind of thing takes time."

"It's like trying to look left and right at the same time! It's impossible" Naruto sighed.

"Oh really." Kakashi created a shadow clone. "Now I can look left." Kakashi looked left and pointed. "And right at the same time." The clone looked right and pointed before disappearing and looked at Naruto with a reassuring smile or as reassuring as he could with a mask on.

Naruto eyes widen in surprise as an idea hit him. "Sou ka!" He yelled as he got to his feet. "I got it!"

"Did he really get an idea just from that?" Kakashi and Kyuubi thought.

---- Konoha, Hokage's Office ----

The team that headed back to Konoha travelled hard and almost non-stop with little sleep and even less food and lots of soldier pills. They had to make it back as soon as possible to report what they knew and were able to make it in just over two days.

Currently, Asuma and Gai were informing the Hokage and her assistant what they've learnt about Naruto and his intentions so far while the others headed home to rest.

"That is very disturbing but are you sure that Kyuubi isn't influencing him?"

"Influencing maybe as much as any sensei can influence their student but in control and forcing Naruto to do things, No."

"That's good at least. So do you know what he's planning?"

"Yes, he plans to build his skill and forces before destroying a Shinobi village and joining another village. With Kakashi training with him, he might be able to get a grasp of his skill level."

"What are the chances that he will attack Konoha?"

"Depends. He's promised not to attack us at least till the end of our current conflict with Iwa and its allies and you know Naruto and his promises but after that, even odds at best."

"How many of those things does he have?"

"We estimate he has at least a thousand of them but we weren't able to visually confirm but that is a low estimate, all ruthless, fearless and pretty much expendable. And with each person he captures alive, he can breed another."

"What do you mean?"

Asuma and Gai explained everything they knew about the Xenos from them being aliens, their castes and abilities and more importantly their lifecycle. Tsunade and Shizune paled as they listened to the description of what happened in the birthing chamber and how casual Naruto acted about it.

"There's more." Gai informed her.

Tsunade groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose; she needed sake. "What now?"

Asuma gave Tsunade the Bingo book, "It's Naruto's Bingo Book." Stunned, she quickly grabbed it and started to flip through it. "He's got a lot if not all of ROOTs' members as well as some Chunin and Jounin but the biggest shock and problem is the rather large number of Council members in there."

"This could be problematic." She sighed and reached into her special drawer.

"You mean troublesome."

"You hang around Shikamaru too much."

---- Hive, Throne Room ----

"Hello Sakura."

"Evening Naruto." She returned the greeting as she pulled a chair near him and watched him work. She was slightly taken aback and hurt that he's stop calling her 'Sakura-chan' when they first spoke alone but was determined to earn back his trust and friendship and get him to add the 'chan' back.

"What are you doing?"

"Working on a little project." He typed a few more keys and a diagram of a small craft appeared and with a few more presses of selected keys a task-bar appeared and Naruto leaned back as the computer processed the data, all this time he did not even look at Sakura.

When Sakura and the others first saw the wall off to the side of his Throne room open up and his computer console moved into view, they were stunned at how advance it was. There were very few computers in Konoha and all used by ANBU and the Medic Corp. but they were nowhere near as advance as what Naruto had.

"Naruto… I'm sorry about what's happened and how I've treated you."

"And for the hundredth time Sakura, I forgive you."

"Then why won't you call me 'Sakura-chan' like you used too?" She sounded hurt. "Do you… Do you hate me so much?"

Naruto stopped working and turned to face her, "Sakura, I don't hate you. I admit I was hurt but I could never hate you. Anyway I thought you found it annoying when I called you Sakura-chan and ran after you for dates?" He gave her a smile.

Sakura smiled a little though she was tearing, "Ya you were really annoying back then but…" She lowered her head, "You never gave-up, you kept trying harder every time you failed and you always keep your promises."

Naruto noticed that she was crying now as the tears fell on the floor, "And you've saved my life more than once and I never treated you right or even thanked you once."

She was sobbing now and Naruto nervously wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. He really hoped he wouldn't get hit for this but surprisingly Sakura just leaned into his (unarmored) chest before returning the hug.

"Hey Naruto are those date offers still good?"

---- - ----

Hinata and Tenten wondered down one of the many corridors of the Hive, mapping as they went along till they noticed a door. Tenten tried to open it but was stopped by Hinata.

"We should wait for the others."

"They're right behind us. I'm sure they'll be along in a minute. It can't hurt to take a look." She opened the door and the two of them entered.

It was a fairly large room and the walls were metal with grid pattern with some holes on the walls as well as smaller one on the ground level and even a large pit on the opposite end of the chamber. It looked like the Birthing Chamber but not used.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"May… maybe we should … le…leave."

"Ya I think you're… AHHH!" Tenten was interrupted by a roar from the side and was pinned against the wall and lifted up by her neck along with Hinata.

Tenten and Hinata screamed at the monster that held them captive. It was much taller and bulkier than those that they had seen before; in fact it looked very different. It had lighter skin color and tentacle-like dreadlocks and four additional mandibles which were spread wide as it roared at them.

"TENTEN! HINATA!" Kakashi yelled from the entrance.

"My god." Kurenai stared in a mixture of terror and awe at the Predalien.

Sasuke quickly ran through some seals, "Fire style: Gr…"

But was interrupted when a hand grabbed and pulled his hand away from his face, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, not unless you want to cook the two of them as well and fight them."

Sasuke wanted to argue but noticed the large number of Xenos on the walls behind Naruto and Sakura and looked back into the chamber and to his and everyone else's horror, another two Predaliens walked/crawled out of their hiding places.

"Put them down." Naruto ordered which the Predalien complied and the two terrified girls ran to the group. Naruto waved the Xenos off and closed the chamber before turning to face the group, "Looks like you found the Predalien Birthing chamber. Come with me."

---- Throne Room ----

"Naruto… What was that?" Ino asked.

"My Angels weren't the only ones that came from the stars. In fact, by our standards my Angels though very intelligent are little more than beasts. They spread by impregnating other species, some of which have been traveling the stars long before man even walked the Earth."

Naruto typed in a few key and a hologram of a full-sized Predator without its mask appeared in front of them.

"Man Sakura and I thought you had a big forehead."

"Shut it, Pig."

"They are Hunters or Predators; they hunt creatures across the universe for sport, honor and glory. And their greatest prize were the 'Great Serpents' or as I call them Angels. To prove their worth, young Predators must pass a trial by entering a specially built structure and kill all the serpents."

The hologram changed to show a pyramid and an underground labyrinth.

"If they succeed, they will be marked as a full-fledged Hunter." Naruto took off his cloak and armor and pulled aside his chain-mill shirt and showed them the same stylized 'T' that was on his helmet, scared on his skin.

"Of course I don't have such a complex but I have killed a few of my Angels in a couple of fights before. Similar to the trials the unblooded Predators took, but not as complex. Anyway, most if not all of the weapons that you don't recognize are from the Predators like my wrist-blades, plasma-caster and cloaking device."

"But Naruto how can you read their language?" Kurenai asked.

"Kyuubi." He typed a few more keys and the Predator hieroglyphs changed to English/Japanese. "And it's good that I was able to integrate a language conversion program thanks to Kyuubi and a friend of mine."

"The creature you saw just now was a Predalien named for the fact that it has kept an unusually high percentage of its host's DNA which of course was a Predator thus giving raise to a different caste in the Hive and it has its own unique abilities."

"Like what?" Sakura asked almost afraid of the answer.

"Being able to use a woman's womb as host to multiple Drones."

All the Kunoichis hands unconsciously moved to their stomachs while Kakashi's eye widened at the possibility of Naruto having even more Angels at his disposal.

"This could be very bad for Konoha." Kakashi thought.

"Did they have any other weapons?" Tenten asked as Naruto worn back his armor and cloak, hoping to change the subject of the Predalien.

Naruto smirked and got up, "Follow me."

Naruto led them down another corridor before opening a door which led to his armory; at first they did not notice anything unusual other than racks of standard shinobi weapons like shurikens, kunais, exploding tags, katanas, tonfas and even bows and arrows but further back there were weapons and devices that the other nin could not identify.

Tenten was the first into the armory and picked up a device and was about to push a button when Naruto grabbed it out of her hands.

"Easy there Tenten. You're too cute to be rendered into nothing but bones." And placed the plasma mine back on the shelf, missing the blush on her face. "Anyway these weapons are for use by me and maybe one day my clan."

Naruto proceeded to retrieve a few weapons, tucking them into his belt and other compartments and attachments before picking up a net-gun and leading them back to the training area, where he showed them the use of the Combi-stick and the Predator Shurikens which were like the Demon Windmill Shuriken but had retractable blades and were much deadlier and finally the net-gun which could be set to capture or kill.

"Kakashi-sensei, I think it's time to carry on with our training." Kakashi nodded and followed Naruto while Neji and Sasuke decided to stay and train with each other and the girls headed back to their room.

---- - ----

The girls sat around in one of their rooms while Kurenai decided to take a shower.

"Let's play Truth or Dare." Ino suggested.

Feeling bored, the other girls agreed and sat around in a circle.

"Hinata, truth or dare?" Ino started.

"Err… Truth."

An evil grin crossed Ino's face, "What did you think about Naruto when he first took off his mask?"

Hinata blushed bright red, looked down and mumbled something.

"Sorry Hinata can you speak louder?" Ino and the other girls leaned over and Hinata mumbled again. "What was that?"

"I SAID I THOUGHT HE LOOKED HOT AND I WANTED TO DO HIM RIGHT THERE AND THEN!" Hinata realized that she just shouted what she thought and blushed even more before fainting.

"Damn. I didn't think she'd say that much."

"Come off it Piggy. You know Hinata's had a major crush on Naruto since the academy."

"Well till she wakes up, we'll skip her turn so I'm next." Tenten chipped in, "Sakura Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"Who would you rather have sex with, Sasuke or Naruto?"

Sakura was about to say the first thing that came to her mind which was Sasuke but stopped and thought for a moment.

"Oh. What this? Is Forehead giving some serious thought about the new dark Naruto?" Ino teased.

"Shut up Pig." Sakura couldn't hide the blush that appeared on her face. "It's just that… that… I… Naruto ok! I pick Naruto! Ino! Truth or dare!" Hoping to take the attention away from her.

"Tsk. Dare."

An evil grin appeared on Sakura's face, "I dare you to strip and get in the shower with Kurenai-sensei."

A look of shock crossed Ino's face before she got up and walked towards the bathroom and started to strip and quickly got into the bathroom just as Hinata started to stir.

"Ooh. What happened?"

"Nothing much Hinata." Tenten reassured her but a dark blush appeared on her face as she remembered what happened and then there was a scream from the bathroom.

"Sorry Kurenai-sensei!" Yelled a slightly wet Ino as she ran out and wrapped a towel around her and rejoined the other girls.

"There, happy Forehead? Tenten, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Do you want to jump Naruto?"

"What?" A light blush appeared on Tenten's face.

"Oh come on Tenten, it's a fairly well known fact that women of your family are not interested in money, fame or political power but show them an interesting weapon and they'll be all over the guy." Ino smirked.

Tenten blushed a shade of red that could rival Hinata's and buried her face in the pillow she was hugging.

"And Naruto's got a whole armory of weapons that no one on this World has access to except him."

Hinata did not like where this was going.

"I bet you just want to take the trial so that you can be part of his clan huh?"

"Bu… but Na.. Naruto-kun, didn't say that if you to… took the trial… you'll be part of hi… his clan."

"True but Naruto has lived the last three years more or less as one of these Hunters and passing the trial will definitely earn you some bonus points."

A thoughtful look appeared on the faces of the other three girls. They continued to play for a while more before a slightly red-faced Kurenai came out and after explaining decided to join them but after a couple of rounds, Tenten who was quieter throughout the game got up and left, declining company.

"Where do you think she's going?" Hinata asked.

"No clue." Ino shrugged.

Tenten walked through the halls; she knew she was being watched as long as there were the bone-like patterns on the wall, there were probably Drones hiding in plain sight. She entered the Throne room and saw Naruto without his armor and looked like he had just got out of the shower and was working on his computer again.

"Naruto." He turned to face Tenten and gave her his full attention, "I want to take the trial."

TBC

A/N:  
For those of you who wanted the Predalien (Pred/Alien Hydrid) I hope you're not disappointed.

Right now there will be 4 girls in the harem and while this is not my first harem fic, it is my first attempt as I haven't reached the relationship development part for the other fic. I considered some of the other girls that will suggested and I think Ayame (Ramen Girl) and any other non-Kunoichi are out. Hana and Isarbi are still a toss up as there is another girl I'm considering ahead of them.

**WARNING**: Below this is an Omake from my beta who recently turned author. Unforuntely, it is **YAOI **nothing heavy and I could stomach it. Do not read if you cannot even stand **Yaoi**. You have been **warned** though it is quite funny. The things I do for that girl...

---- Hive, Throne Room ----

"Hello Teme." Naruto had just finished his shower and was sitting at the Throne with only an orange towel wrapped around his middle, working on his computer.

"Hn. Dobe." Sasuke returned the greeting, stood leaning his shoulder against the doorway and watched him work. He was a little pissed that Naruto defeated him in a spar earlier. 'Defeated', a word he hated to use. He still had his Uchiha pride.

"So, what are you doing?"

"Working on a little project." He typed a few more keys and a diagram of a small craft appeared and with a few more presses of selected keys a task-bar appeared and Naruto leaned back as the computer processed the data, all this time not even looking at Sasuke.

Naruto had a lot on his mind; his Bingo Book, the Hive, the Konoha nins, and most of all, Sasuke. As if he's gonna let the bastard know he creeps into his mind every single minute of the day. Naruto closed his eyes, feeling those onyx-colored eyes burn into his skin.

"Na-ru-to…"

". . . . ." Naruto heard the shuffling of steps around the room, but still kept his eyes closed.

"Looks like you've been working out huh." His voice sounded clear. And very near. Too near for Naruto not to hear his own heart beating erratically.

No answer was given, just the sound of fingers going over the keyboard.

Naruto felt the touch of soft gentle lips touching his, widened his eyes and glared instantly, "Teme! What did you just do?!" He gave him a smile.

Sasuke looked into those glaring cerulean eyes before continuing, "Coz' you looked like you needed to be kissed." He lowered his head to whisper, "And I know you want me." Naruto shivered at the sound of Sasuke's deep husky voice. He knew Sasuke was right; he had always been. Bringing Sasuke back from the Valley of the End had only served to remind him of his longing for a certain raven-haired bastard. Leaving the village made it worse.

He could feel a smirk coming from Sasuke, who snaked his hand along Naruto's chest and continued whispering, "Send your Drones from this room. I don't think they need to witness what I am about to do to you."


	6. Trial

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or AvP.

A/N:  
In addition to the pervious notes a couple more have been added here and at the end of the fic.

Regarding what people view as Naruto's stupidity/forwardness with information but that will mean spoilers for facts/ideas that will not be revealed for another 6 – 8 chapters. So if you don't want spoilers, don't read the last part.

Regarding the Predaliens, Naruto have 3 of them at his disposal, right now I don't intent to give him more than that. It was hinted in chapter 1 and 4 that he had at least 1 Predalien. The Predaliens' impregnating ability is probably a plot-hole from the people who gave it that ability in AVP:R coz even my beta who took Bio in school didn't think about it till it was pointed out.

I may or may not work it into the main story but the reason the Pred-ship crashed in the first place was that there were at least 3 infected Predators and the Predaliens caused the ship to crash just like in AVP:R.

The harem will consist of at least 4 girls and at the end of the story (slated for 24 chapters) will either stay at 4 or increase to a max of 6 (most likely 5). Depending on how I can work it into the story coz right now the later chapters are one battle after another so I might want to break that chain a little. There won't be any lemons. Isarabi will most likely not be included… For now, I'm planning a sequel with Orochimaru as the main baddie. But I won't randomly add girls for the heck of it; I'm aiming for at least some character/relationship development.

For those of you who are not happy with the harem (or possible harem) list well... I'm sorry but I'm mainly writing this to make me happy and cos I don't see enough harem/pairings I like. The reason I ask about votes/suggestions is that I am open to suggestions especially if they're good like Hana, I've never thought about her for this fic but I am considering her now. If you guys don't like (or not in the mood for) the pairing/harem then you are welcome to stop reading, lord knows I've done that before.

Fallen-Ryu: What you described is similar to a caste called the 'Ravager' which is meant more for killing/assualting rather than capturing. I'm no really planning on bringing out any of the other castes yet or at all for this fic.

There are thing I would like to point out about the Queen which will not be considered spoilers. Just 3 things:

1. A Queen, even attached to an egg sack, is still dangerous and far from helpless.

2. She is guarded 24/7 but her own group of elite guards, the Praetorians.

3. As important as the Queen is… She is REPLACEABLE. A Queen can be born 3 ways. A 'super face-hugger', a face-hugger from a Queen egg or a Praetorian evolving/molting into a Queen.

Predators and Akatsuki will NOT be involved in this story at least not yet. They will be going after the other Jinchurikis.

**Spoiler Warning** – Skip to the start of the chapter if you don't want to know the story about 8 chapters ahead.

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There WILL be an attempt made on the Queen in chapter 7.

Why is Naruto so forthcoming with all his plans? Simple, that is what he wants.

Would I show possible enemies around my base? Yes, if I have nothing to fear from them, which is the position Naruto is in. Most of the base is covered in Xenos hiding in plain sight, they report everything to him. It would take a lot of resources to assault the Hive and even then they would most likely fail.

There are rooms that have been locked and are inaccessible to anyone other than Naruto. These rooms include secondary egg chambers, weapons rooms and a main and back up power core.

The Bingo Book was never meant to be published outside of Konoha, it as well as the information he gave and allowing the Konoha nin to gather was meant to be leaked/given to Danzo and the Council.

The Bingo Book is a list of people he intends to kill and one will be a council member right in front of the council itself. His ultimate goal is to unbalance Konoha and hopefully push it into a civil war during which he will move in and kill everyone on his list. The aftermath of which will left Konoha in chaos and severely weakened.

In chapter 7, he will attack and decimate most of Iwa but not completely wipe it off the face of the map. Forcing either Konoha to send some of its forces there to secure Iwa and weakening Konoha's fighting/defensive forces further or allow Suna to secure it and gain favor with Suna/Gaara.

So there you have it, the plot laid out all the way till about chapter 13. I'm thinking about taking a monkey wrench in the works. After all, where's the fun if everything goes according to plan? Especially since I've revealed this little twist/reevaluation now.

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**End of Spoiler**

On with the Story

---- Hive ----

"You sure about this? There is no turning back once you get in the pit."

Tenten nodded, "I'm sure."

Everyone stood in the training area and watched quietly as Naruto pushed a button on his gauntlet and a podium-like control panel rose from the floor. Keying in a series of codes, the training ring started to split open from the middle revealing a large rectangular pit about fifteen feet in depth.

The pit's walls and floor were made from Xeno resin and metal, with the walls forming a labyrinth of mazes. There were holes on the walls and floors which were the entrances/exits to tunnels that ran throughout and under the pit.

With a nod of his head, two Warriors and a Runner ran into the mini labyrinth and disappeared into some of the many tunnels.

---- Flashback no Jutsu ----

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Kurenai screamed and walked up and down the hall rubbing her temples and grumbling about 'dangerous and stupid acts'.

Tenten had just informed everyone that she had just convinced Naruto to allow her to take the Hunters' Trial. The reactions were mixed; Kurenai was violent, Kakashi dropped his book, Hinata felt faint, Sasuke and Neji were wide eyed and Ino and Sakura were acting like goldfish.

"Maybe… Naruto-kun will tak… take it easy on… her."

"No. He made it very clear that I could die during the trial. I will have to face three Drones on my own. No outside help."

Everyone fell silent especially Kurenai who fell into a chair, her head in her hands. She could not believe Tenten would do something so so unnecessary… stupid even. "Tenten I think you should forget about taking the trial. Fighting three of those things face-to-face is going to be dangerous."

"Actually Naruto said the trial will be to kill all three Drones in a maze-like arena."

"WHAT!? That's it you are pulling out of this trial!"

"Kurenai-sensei." Tenten spoke in a calm tone, "I've thought long and hard about this and I want to do this."

"Kakashi! Say something!"

"Train." Everyone turned to Kakashi. "We'll have to train her into the ground to prepare her for the trial. The good thing is a weapons specialist is probably as good as a fire user to face those things."

Everyone agreed; some more reluctant than others and spent the next couple of days training Tenten. Kakashi and Sasuke even tried to teach her a fire jutsu or two but she was not able to use fire chakra so they had to train on her speed and reflexes.

As the day of the trial drew closer, the tension grew, especially for Kurenai and Tenten.

---- Flashback Kai ----

Tenten jumped into the pit and looked back as Naruto activated the pit and four giant metal plates started to rise and join to form a pyramid/triangle ceiling over the pit. The ceiling was opaque with different shape/size windows that allowed light through. Naruto pushed a couple more keys and some light lit in the pit. Several holographic screens appeared; most showing Tenten.

"Begin."

Tenten drew a kunai and slowly made her way through the maze-like corridors of the pit, staying away from the walls especially when the entrances of the tunnels were visible. What she did not notice was a Warrior crawling along the ceiling above her.

"TENTEN! ABOVE YOU!" Ino warned.

"She can't hear you. From here on out, she's on her own."

The Warrior dropped from above Tenten but she rolled out of the way and threw her kunai at it, which it hit away with its tail and charged her. Tenten blocked a swing from the Warrior with her arm and punched it in the stomach, ducking a tongue strike at the same time. She jumped back as it ran back into a tunnel.

A Runner tried a tail strike from one of the tunnels but she ducked the tail strike to her head and threw a kunai with an exploding tag, but the Runner ducked back into the tunnel avoiding the blast.

Tenten thought about following it into the tunnel but thought better of it; better to fight in the open where she could see them; they had the advantage in the dark confined spaces of the tunnels.

She rolled out of the tail strike from a Warrior hanging on the ceiling and threw six kunais at it, forcing it to drop from the ceiling and face her head on. The Warrior's claws slashed across Tenten's arm, ripping her sleeve and drawing blood. She threw a couple of shurikens at the Warrior and had to dodge a tail strike from the second Warrior from behind.

"Tenten!" Kurenai screamed and looked to Naruto hoping that he would stop this, but was disheartened to see an indifferent look on his face; but what Kakashi noticed that she did not was that every time Tenten had a close call or got hurt, Naruto's face would twist just a little.

Tenten threw a Demon Windmill shuriken at the first Warrior, "Kage Shuriken Jutsu!" The single shuriken turned into five forcing the Warrior to run back into the tunnel but what it failed to notice was that Tenten had thrown a kunai with an explosive tag into the tunnel before it ran in.

She turned around and jumped back, avoiding a pounce from the Runner just as the explosive tag detonated sending shrapnel and acid blood towards Tenten's back.

"AAHHH!"

Tenten fell to the ground as the Runner approached her and picked her up by her throat and opened its mouth, ready to end it. The girls couldn't look. Tenten shoved a kunai up the Runner's chin, forcing its mouth shut and to let go of her. She quickly unsealed a katana and beheaded the struggling Runner.

Tenten looked around, katana at the ready trying to find the last Drone. Suddenly, the Warrior broke through the floor grabbed her and bit her thigh but just as it let go to try a head bite, Tenten took a swing cutting off both its arms and the front half of its head. She then slowly pulled herself out of the hole, ignoring the acid that was burning her already injured leg.

Naruto dropped the ceiling and the girls quickly ran in to check and heal Tenten, missing the loud sigh of relief that Naruto let out.

"If you were so worried about her, you shouldn't have let her attempt the trial." Sasuke smirked.

"Shut it Sasuke."

---- - ----

The girls quickly got to Tenten and pulled her out of the hole and started to treat her wounds.

"You did it Tenten. You passed the trial." Ino congratulated her while she healed her back.

"It was still a stupid thing to do. You could have been killed." Sakura reprimanded as she healed her leg, "But all the same, you did great."

"Thanks guys." Tenten started to relax as the pain she experienced, started to lessen.

"Congratulations Tenten." They turned to see Naruto walking towards them leading the guys. "You know what happens now don't you?"

Tenten nodded and started to unbutton her top, shocking everyone.

"Tenten what are you doing?" Sakura stopped her from taking of her top.

"Getting my mark." She looked towards Naruto who broke off the finger of one of the dead Xenos before kneeling in front of her.

Sakura reluctantly backed away as Tenten took off her top showing her pink bra. Kurenai, Sakura and Ino glared at the guys, who averted their eyes. Naruto used the claw of the finger which had some acid on it to draw the mark of a full-fledged Predator just above her left breast. He placed his fingers on it and channeled chakra into the mark with glowed red for a moment healing, leaving just a scar.

"Good, now sign your name on this in blood then place your finger prints at the bottom of your name." Naruto unsealed a summoning contract and unrolled it, revealing his name to be the only name on the contract.

Tenten did as instructed, Naruto nodded in approval before rolling up the scroll and sealing it back into a small storage scroll. He walked over to the only complete Xeno skull and started to skin and cure the skull as everyone watched fascinated. Naruto picked it up and handed the blenched skull of the slaved Runner to Tenten, who got back to her feet, forgetting to button up and accepted the skull.

"Your first trophy."

"Thank you Naruto."

Naruto spoke as he walked away, "Rest now, we will start your training tomorrow. Lunch will be ready in an hour."

---- Hive, Konoha Room ----

Tenten walked in and placed her trophy on the table and admired the quality work Naruto did in preserving the skull. She wondered what other trophies she could earn in the future; maybe Naruto and her could go on an animal safari one day.

She was so lost in thought that she did not notice Sakura observing the skull, till she heard Ino say something.

"You were so cool in there. I'm sure if Gai-sensei or Lee were around, they'd be screaming about your flames of youth and some other junk."

"Yes you were very impressive in there. I'm proud to have you as my teammate."

"What I'm interested in is how do those things hunt? Naruto cleaned out all the organs but there are no obvious signs of eyes or noses."

Everything was quiet for a moment as they thought about what Sakura said. They would have to give the skull to the Hokage to study later if Tenten doesn't mind.

"Tenten looked good in pink." Kakashi randomly spoke out while Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"HENTAI!" Kurenai hit Kakashi and Sakura smacked the back of Sasuke's head.

---- - ----

Naruto walked into the Queen's Chamber, who looked up as if waking from sleep.

"What do you think of her?" He asked pausing for a moment listening. "I'm glad you agree that she is a good addition to the Hive but like I said whether she stays with us in the end or we return to Konoha remains to be seen."

Naruto listened for a moment before smirking and walking out the room as the Queen 'smiled' before going back to 'sleep'.

---- - ----

Naruto and Tenten stood in the middle of the clearing that he and Kakashi had been using to try and complete the Rasengan. Now it was just him and Tenten since he trusts her enough and she earned the right to some of his technique though he was very sure she was more interested in the weapons he'll allow her to use.

"The hand signs to summon the Angels are the same as any other contract and normally once you sign a summoning contract you can't sign another but like I said before the Angels of the Apocalypse is not a true summoning contract in the traditional sense."

"So can you still summon toads?"

"Yes I can. I just haven't done so in a long time and you can still sign another summoning contract. If you do, all you have to do is to call out 'Angels of the Apocalypse' and you will summon the Angels instead of your other summons."

"The difference and the difficult part of this is that you must keep in mind what and how many you want to summon, blood and chakra are the sacrifice and will activate the scroll. I want you to focus on summoning as many Warriors as you can."

Tenten nodded, bit her thumb and went through the seal and slammed her hand on the floor, "Summoning Jutsu: Angels of the Apocalypse!" A cloud of white smoke appeared and as it cleared it revealed two Warriors and a Runner.

"Not bad Tenten. Now try again; this time, channel as much chakra as you can and remember Warriors only." Naruto dismissed the Drones as Tenten tried again, this time summoning three Warriors.

They carried on for the rest of the day till it was dinner time.

---- - ----

The Konoha nin entered their room and gathered in the hall, all anxious about Tenten's progress.

"So Tenten how did your training go with Naruto today?" Kakashi asked since Naruto spent the day training Tenten and they'd mapped as much of this place as they could; he spent most of the day catching up on his reading.

"Well we spent the day practicing summoning his Angels… Sigh… I can only summon five Warriors. My chakra reserves aren't large enough to summon more so I have to work on increasing my chakra reserves."

"I guess I can work with you on some chakra exercises. I think you girls should join in, you could always use better control and increase your chakra reserves." Kurenai suggested and the girls nodded.

"Anyway can you guys believe how great a cook Naruto is? Man I could eat his cooking everyday…"

---- Konoha, Hokage's Office ----

Gai, Asuma, Shikamaru, Shino, Choji, Kiba and Lee were gathered in the Hokage's office waiting for her and her assistant as instructed when said people walked into the room. Tsunade gave a tired sigh as she dropped in her chair.

"Hard time with the council?" Shikamaru asked.

"Stupid civilians demanding that we 'crash' our enemies and the elders adding fuel by saying it makes us look weak and that damn war-hawk wanting to send our ANBU, not his mind you straight into the heart of Iwa for the Tsuchikage's head. Idiots."

Tsunade reached over to her 'special' drawer and pulled out a jar of sake and has about to take a drink before it was taken away by her assistant, "GODDAMNIT! Give me that Shizune!"

"Can you at least brief them first before you decide to get yourself stone drunk?" Shizune motioned to the nin present.

"Fine. The council still does not know that it was Naruto that attacked those camps and thankfully Naruto has not released his Bingo Book yet, if not it will be even more difficult to keep his identity secret."

"Yes, it seems Kakashi was successful in delaying the Bingo Book."

"I want the two of you to take your teams and Kurenai's back to Naruto's base and set up a meeting between him and me. In the meantime, I want you to bring the others back. The council is starting to get suspicious about the missing members though the ninjas are keeping quiet."

"Hai Hokage-sama."

"Now! Give me my sake!"

---- Hive, Training Area ----

"Now that you've got a grasp of summoning, it will be up to you to practice and refine your skills."

"Hai."

"So today, I've decided to work on what is your most obvious strength." Naruto created a shadow clone and sent it to the other end of the fighting ring. "Go ahead and throw some kunais or shurikens at it."

Tenten threw three kunai at the shadow clone which created a wind barrier that blew the kunais away, reminding Tenten of her defeat at the hands of Temari at the Chunin preliminaries a couple of years ago.

"Now watch this." Naruto removed a disc from a holder on his thigh and threw it at his clone, halfway towards its target it was surrounded by a powerful electric charge. The clone created a more powerful wind barrier than before but the disc corrected itself and flew through the barrier, cutting the clone in half before it dispelled as well as grazing a pillar before it flew back to Naruto who caught it.

"This is a Chakra or Smart Disc, it is an extremely sharp circular weapon that is thrown like a discus and returns to the user like a boomerang. This weapon is extremely powerful and can easily cut through flesh and bone. It can also be use as a slashing melee weapon."

Tenten looked at the weapon in awe.

"It is yours as soon as you can master this." Naruto held up a similar looking weapon but the edges looked blunt. "This is a training disc, I lost a lot of shadow clones practicing with the real thing and I'd prefer for you to remain in one piece."

Though Tenten was a little disappointed, she gave Naruto a smile; after all he was only looking out for her. She took the training disc and threw her arms around his neck hugging him.

"Arigato Naruto-kun."

They stared into each others eyes for a moment before they started to draw closer together. Tenten closed her eyes as their lips met in a soft but lingering kiss. Unbeknownst to the two at the time, Sakura had walked in on the two of them and hid back into the corridor. She couldn't help but feel hurt and jealous but most of all, regret.

---- - ----

It's been three days since Sakura saw Naruto and Tenten kiss and she wasn't feeling any better. She was angry, hurt, jealous and down-right confused. She hadn't tried to speak to Naruto alone the last two days and she was pretty sure Tenten was with him in the evenings after training with Kakashi since she was hardly in their room after dinners. She had no idea what he felt for her; did he still have feelings for her? Heck, did she even feel that way about him after everything that's happened?

Yesterday was when she reached her boiling point, Tenten had returned from her training session with Naruto and she was glowing and as if that wasn't enough, she was humming and there was just that extra spring in her step. Ino had just brushed it off as just Tenten being really happy to get some new toys but she knew better.

So here she was now, in the middle of the forest clearing, a clearing she made herself after taking some of her frustrations out on the trees but it wasn't enough. She was breathing hard but it didn't help her much.

"You know there are probably easier ways of clearing a forest. Ways that are not likely to draw attention to the Hive." Naruto dropped down a few feet behind her and removed his mask and attached it to his hip.

She really did not want to see him right now at least not till she got her head straight, not easy when you have a damn inner voice shouting perverted nonsense about her and Naruto every other hour.

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong? You haven't come back to try and talk for a couple of days now."

"It's nothing, can you just drop it?"

"You know you're acting like you're hiding something and avoiding me. Did I do something?"

Sakura couldn't look at him, she wasn't sure which would have been worst, him looking at her in concern like he used to or with the near emotionless look on his face he has on most of the time since they found him.

"Sigh… It's nothing Naruto and it's not your fault." Not entirely, she thought to herself as she turned to walk away.

"You seem pretty worked up about something. How about I help you relief some of that stress? How about a spar?"

"Not interested." She continued to walk away.

"If you beat me or at least impress me, I'll start calling you Sakura-chan again if you like."

Sakura stopped in mid-stride, she did not have to turn around; she could almost feel that damn foxy grin of his and without turning around, started to put on her gloves and cracked her knuckles. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up, a two for one deal. She could vent her frustrations and she might be able to get him to be more open towards her.

Naruto did not like the smirk she had on her face as he kept his guard up. He picked up a small pebble, "We'll start when this hits the ground."

Naruto threw the paddle straight up and got into a defensive stance. Just as the pebble hit the ground, Sakura punched the ground causing it to crack and break, sending a shockwave towards Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened at the destruction before him, "What insane strength…"

"How'd you like that Na-ru-to-kun?" She smirked as she ran towards him.

"**She gathers chakra in her fists and releases it at the precise moment of impact. It takes perfect chakra control."**

"Shit. Then I better not get hit or I'm dead." Naruto thought as he dodged a couple of punches and tried to sweep kick Sakura but she jumped out of the way and threw three kunais at him. Naruto jumped up and created five shadow clones and sent them to fight her.

"Fighting her in a straight taijutsu match is suicide with her super strength and she knows it." Naruto thought as she dispelled his clones and he got the information from them.

Naruto avoided a couple more of her punches and tried to hit her with a roundhouse kick which she blocked and tried to connect with a roundhouse of her own. Naruto ducked and tried to connect with an uppercut. Sakura jumped back avoiding the uppercut, landed on a tree and jumped off the tree as a black tentacle left a large gash on the spot where she was.

Naruto figured that he most likely lost to Sakura's strength punch for punch and he was not good enough of a grappler to take her on in that; that just left speed which he hoped he could match her, and stamina which he was pretty sure he could beat her in.

Naruto created seven shadow clones and together they surrounded her and started to attack from all sides, forcing Sakura to go on the defensive, hoping to try and wear her down. Because of the multiple attacks and avoidance of her attacks, Sakura was forced to block also all the hits which were starting to hurt.

"**Kit you either have to get serious or creative if you want to win this fight."**

"I think I have an idea that I want to try."

Naruto dispelled the clones and dropped in front of Sakura, who threw a punch right at Naruto's chest sending the both of them sliding forward/back several feet.

"Not bad Sakura…chan." Sakura looked surprised; Naruto had caught her punch with both hands.

"Ho… How did you do that?"

"I gathered chakra in my palms and released it the same time you hit." He answered as he walked away. She stood there stunned for a few moments but brightened up when she realized he called her Sakura-chan.

"**Impressive Kit. Your chakra control has definitely improved."**

"Yes but it's still nowhere near Sakura's level. THAT REALLY HURT!" Naruto went to get some ice for his sore hands while trying to ignore Kyuubi's laughter. "Stupid fox."

---- - ----

The team of Konoha nin arrived at the entrance to the tunnel they had exited the Hive almost three weeks ago. Asuma was about to try and find the trapdoor but stopped when he heard a hiss and looked up to see a Runner in front of the group.

"Easy." Asuma backed up with his hands up. "We'll just here to see Naruto. Not to fight or anything."

The Runner watched them for a moment before swinging its head to the side and ran off in that direction before stopping and looked back at them.

"I think it wants us to follow it." Kiba suggested.

They nodded and followed the Runner to a clearing where they saw the other Konoha nin standing there.

"YO KAKASHI!" Gai yelled grabbing the attention of all the nin.

"Gai-sensei! Lee!" Tenten greeted.

"Asuma-sensei! Shikamaru! Choji! You're back."

"What's going on here?" Asuma asked noticing several targets set at the center of the clearing and Naruto standing between them and the targets.

"I believe Naruto's finished his technique." Kakashi answered.

Naruto started to draw on the fox's chakra causing his pupils to turn into slits. As he started to form a Rasengan, a shadow clone appeared and started to apply nature manipulation.

"What is that?" Ino stared at the glowing sphere in Naruto's hand.

"That's some screech and the chakra is incredible."

"Wow."

"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto threw the disc at the targets. Just as it reached the targets, it expanded, cutting them in half before exploding, sending a shockwave towards them.

"Amazing."

"The number of hits was extraordinary. Even with the Sharingan I couldn't count them."

"This is going to be troublesome, I just know it."

Naruto smiled at the power of his wind elemental Rasengan, before his face looked like he just realized something and started to laugh; it was a dark almost evil laugh that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"It's time."

"What do you mean Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"I'm heading to Iwa."

TBC

A/N:  
I know in Episode 105 or 106 (I think) Tenten unsealed a fireball from a scroll but this chapter was finished before that episode is out and I did not want to re-write the fight scene since it was beta'ed.

Before anyone makes noise about the the power of the xenos' blood, I would like to point out that in Aliens (the 2nd Alien movie) an couple of the Marines were sprayed in blood and they survived and did not lose any limbs.

As for Naruto's abilities, I am leaning towards giving me all elemental afinities as well as being able to combine them to form the other elements like ice and wood but I will try to avoid making him too imbal. Cos I have a few elemental versions of the Rasengan in mind other then the Wind and Fire Rasengan (Game) versions which are cannon.

Beta Note (B/N):  
Dear all, hope you liked my omake. Not. :P Not that I was trying to ruin the story, but as a yaoi fan-girl, I felt like writing something, given the vibes I was feeling. XD Therefore, with permission from the author, I will be publishing yaoi one-shots based on his fic. Warnings will be given. You don't like, you don't read. Anyway, moving on. About this chapter, it's pretty cool. I get to see the dark Naruto coming back! -drools-

She's read Chapter 7.


	7. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or AVP.

Soulhope: The Wolf, I have not been able to find any info on other Predalien types/caste other then the one in AVP:R and the comics which are pretty much the same except for the breeding ability and the one in the comic had armor so for now I stick with what I've done. I played very the idea of a 'Predalien Queen' that could breed more Predaliens but that is way too imbal.

Regrading the omakes... there will be NO more YAOI omakes in this fic. My beta will be posting all her yaoi omakes on her own profile. I still don't understand how can both my betas be Yaoi fangirls. So if there are any omakes here, I promise no more yaoi just funny or bloody which ever hits me.

Thanks for the support, review and ideas. On with the story.

---- Hive ----

Naruto walked swiftly through the corridors towards the armory, the Konoha nin hot on his heels.

"Naruto-kun what do you mean you're going to Iwa?!" Sakura asked as she ran up next to him.

Naruto stopped in front of the armory, punched in the code and walked through. The guys who had not seen the armory before stared wide eyed at the assortment of weapons at Naruto's disposal.

Tenten grabbed Asuma's cigarette and stepped on it, "Sorry Asuma-sensei, no smoking in the weapons room."

"Na… Naruto-kun…"

"My techniques are ready. So it is time to put my plans into action." Naruto grabbed dozens of kunais and shurikens and placed them on the table with some scrolls along with a couple of Predator shurikens and a pair of combi sticks.

"And you're planning on attacking Iwa… Troublesome."

"Naruto… I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything Kakashi-sensei." Naruto placed a Chakra on his right thigh and locked an attachment on each of his gauntlets. "This is business, nothing personal."

"Still we are grateful that you're not attacking Konoha but one of our enemies. In fact the Hokage is hoping to meet you and arrange an alliance and with this I'm sure she'll…"

Asuma stopped talking when Naruto pointed his right arm at his head and a turret lifted from his gauntlet, "Do not assume too much Asuma-SAN." Everyone tensed. "Just because my target happens to be one of your enemies doesn't mean I'm aligning myself with Konoha. There is little I want to do with that village and I can easily change my mind."

They tensed even more when a couple of Drones dropped in behind them. Everyone started to nervously look between Naruto and the Drones but all eyes turned to Tenten as she walked up to Naruto.

She reached up and slowly lowered his arm, "Naruto-kun please." He locked back the turret and lowered his arm, making everyone breathe a sigh of relief as the Drones disappeared from sight.

"Thread carefully Tenten. Just because you bear my mark does not mean you are immune to my wrath." He sealed his chosen weapons into the scrolls and walked out of the room with them, the Konoho nin parting like the Red Sea but stopped and pointed at her forehead protector, "As long as you wear that symbol you are not immune from my wrath."

As he walked down the corridor, Kiba realized what he said, "Hey. What did he mean you bear his mark? Are you his mate or something?"

A thermonuclear blush appeared on Tenten's face; she and the other female Chunin including Hinata screamed 'Hentai!' and hit him.

"WHAT I SAY!?"

---- Konoha, Hokage's Office ----

Tsunade had finally finished the last of her paperwork and was now enjoying a well deserved break. Thankfully there haven't been any council meetings recently so she just had to tackle her normal foe, paperwork.

While the civilians being quiet was of little concern to her after all she had people reporting on them every once in awhile, it was Danzo that she was worried about. The war-hawk had been quiet lately… too quiet. He was under watch almost twenty-fours a day.

She hated to think that resources were being wasted, watching members of Konoha but unfortunately not everyone on the council had Konoha's best intentions at heart and Danzo was at the top of that list.

Hours after Tsunade and Shizune left for home, an ANBU with a NE mask walks out of the shadows and moves over to the Hokage's desk and opened a wood panel, revealing a safe. Spinning the dial to the correct combination, he opened it. He took out one of the scrolls, opened it, started to copy it before returning everything to the way it was and disappeared without a trace.

---- Hive ----

The girls walked to the corridors as quickly as they could without running. They had volunteered to talk to Naruto after everyone was brought up to speed about everything that's happened when the others were back in Konoha.

They entered the Throne room expecting to see Naruto working at his computer or sitting on his throne but he was no where to be seen. They left the throne room and started to look everywhere they could except the Queen's chamber, locked rooms and especially the Birthing Chambers which they gave a wide berth. The girls walked back into the Throne room and just started waiting till Tenten walked towards one of the wall that they knew hid the Xenos in plain sight.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked.

"Well Naruto-kun said that they will listen to me to a certain extent and after a while I will be able to start understanding them and use them for scouting."

"And you want to ask them where Naruto is?" Sakura looked skeptical.

"It can't hurt."

"True."

"Erm… Can you tell me where Naruto-kun is?" For a moment Tenten felt stupid when nothing happened but some Drones moved away from the wall next to the throne, revealing a door. Tenten touched the keypad and the door slide open and the girls cautiously entered.

The room was larger than the hall of their room and was lit by light blue lights and unlike the Throne room, the walls were made of stone. There were a few regular sized doors in the room and one large one. There was a large desk with scrolls and a mask on it as well as a few shelves with books and scrolls and weapons racks on the wall. There were also a small computer console on the wall next to a king size bed.

"Is this Naruto-kun's bedroom?"

"Na… Naruto…-kun's bed… bedroom."

"Well that baka's got to sleep some times."

"Could use a woman's touch maybe some flowers."

The girls spread out and looked around the room. Hinata stopped at a door and started to blush when she heard a shower being run behind it, she had a very good idea who was back there. Tenten walked over to the desk and picked up the mask, it looked the same as the one Naruto normally wore including the markings but this one was newer and had no signs of battle damage and the metal straps that held the mask to his head were missing.

Sakura sat on his bed and noticed two photo frames on the nightstand and noticed one was the autographed photo from Princess Yukie and the other was the photo of Team 7 when they were Genin.

"He kept it." Sakura smiled and held their team photo to her chest.

Ino looked at Sakura and shrugged before walking over to the largest and most intricately designed door and touched the panel that caused the door to open in the middle and swing outwards.

"Wonder what's in here?" Ino looked into the room and fell on the floor gasping and covering her mouth in shock.

"Ino what's wrong… Oh Kami-sama"

The others appeared behind Sakura and Ino and saw what was in the room; it was Naruto's trophy room. It was filled with skulls; there were at least six Xeno skulls, one did not look like any they had seen before. It looked like a mini queen's skull but had a much smaller crest and two horns, one protruding for each side of its head. There were other skulls in there as well like a giant snake's that could swallow a man whole and saber tooth tiger amongst other deadly predators but what shocked them were the at least dozen human skulls, some with their spines attached hanging on the wall as well.

"I see you found my room and my trophies." The girls turned around and started to blush. Naruto had just gotten out of the shower, still wet with only a towel around his waist.

As they took in his appearance, they can't help but blush brighter, Hinata had just invented several new shades of red and though they would deny it if asked more than one perverted thought crossed their minds and some might even say they had little nosebleeds.

His face was not the only part of him to lose its baby fat, there wasn't any noticeable fat on his body. It was lean, defined and athletic, his arms were strong, defined and wiry but what drew their attention were the number of scars that covered his washboard abs and pecs.

Ignoring the gawking girls, Naruto walks over to the cupboard and walks in, closing the door behind him and after a moment walks out in a pair of black pants and found the girls in the exact same position he left them.

"Liked what you saw?" He deadpanned. The girls blushed even more. "What do you want?" He asked as he pulled a grey tank-top over his head and reached for his armor on his bed.

"Hey Naruto what's with the attitude. You haven't spoken to us like that since the first week we met." Ino crossed her arms across her chest, annoyed at Naruto's attitude.

"I don't have time for pleasantries. Thanks to Kakashi, I can move up my plans though I would have like at least a hundred more Drones on my side, I have enough."

"Then why attack now?" Tenten asked.

"Because I'm ready and after hitting those camps, Iwa has been more cautious. In fact after those camps were wiped out, they pulled back most of their other forces that weren't already engaged in fighting to prepare for a possible strike, only recently did they send out those forces again."

"How do you know all this?"

"The same way I know everything else that's going on. I have my sources." He answered as he wore his gauntlets and checked them.

"When will you be leaving then?"

"In two hours. I should be able to make it to a village a few hours from here by night fall." He attached his plasma-caster to his shoulder before grabbing his new mask, Chakra and cloak and headed for a door across the bed, "And I expect all of you to be ready to leave when I do."

"So you want us to come with and help you?" Sakura asked almost hopefully.

"No. I expect you to leave and head back to Konoha."

"Hey! Is that how you treat guests especially the hottest Kunoichis in Konoha?" Ino huffed.

Naruto smirked before putting his mask to his face and held it in place with chakra, he'd only recently gained enough confidence to use chakra to secure his mask instead of the original metal bars and it made it easier to take the mask off.

"You've seen how I treat Kunoichis." His voice held just a hint of amusement as the door closed and locked behind him.

"You know I think I preferred when he was still acting like an idiot back home."

"Th… That's not a nic… nice thing to say Ino."

Sakura sighed, "And I thought that we finally made some progress. I was even hoping that the whole cold distant thing was just a façade. I guess not."

"Don't worry Sakura. Naruto's still a good guy. I'm sure of it." Tenten tried to assure Sakura.

---- - ----

"WHAT! Oh come on we just got here! I'm tired." Kiba whined.

"Oh shut up dog-boy." Ino yelled. "I bet you rode Akamaru all the way here and he's not complaining."

The girls had just returned and informed the rest about Naruto's instructions and that they were not permitted to remain in the Hive once Naruto left in just under two hours. Kiba was not happy.

"I know he's a stone cold bastard now but the least he could do was let us spend the night in a nice warm bed and hot… OW!!! WHAT!?" Kiba yelled as he turned around and saw a pissed off Tenten holding up her fist.

"Naruto is not a stone cold bastard! He's kind-hearted, caring and warm. Sure he kills without mercy but we're ninja, that's a way of life for us."

"Geez. Tenten if I didn't know any better I'd say you liked him or something."

"I… I like Naruto-kun." Tenten admitted, blushing brightly. Everyone looked shock and Hinata looked like she was about to cry. Tenten turned and bowed to Hinata, "I'm really sorry Hinata. I know how you feel about but I really do like him."

"I… I…understand. Excuse me." Hinata ran off before she started crying in front of everyone. Shino and Kiba were about to go after her but Kurenai told the two of them to stay put and went after her.

"There's something else…"

---- - ---

Naruto jumped out of one of the tunnels and noticed the Konoha nin packed and ready to leave though Kiba was still unhappy if his grumblings were anything to go by.

"Good, I see that you're packed I will be going now. Maybe we will see each other again some day."

Just as he turned to leave, Team Kakashi and Tenten appeared in front of him.

"Maa. Maa. Naruto, you don't think you're going on your own did you?" Kakashi gave him an eye-smile.

"That is exactly what I'm thinking."

Naruto tried to jump over them but was headed off by Sakura then Tenten who was closer got in front of her. The three on them landed with Kakashi and Sasuke walking behind them just in time to hear a growl from Naruto and a softer one from Sakura.

Tenten walked up to Naruto and cupped his cheeks and tried to remove his mask but it wouldn't budge so she just leaned in and pecked him on the 'mouth', "We're coming with you Naruto and unless you're going to fight us, there's nothing you can say that will change our mind."

Sakura clenched her fists so hard that Sasuke heard the pops and took a couple of steps back while Kurenai had to comfort Hinata who had an air of depression hanging around her.

"Do as you wish then but don't get in my way." Naruto shunshined away, the small group nodded to the rest before going after Naruto.

"Let's go. It will take them four to five days to get to Iwa if they travel almost non-stop so we have to make it back to Konoha before they reach Iwa and inform the Hokage. Let's go."

The Konoha nin traveled as fast as they could much to the delight of Lee and the charging of Kiba.

"You know I still don't get why the girls like a cold, dark and broody bastard like Naruto." Kiba grumbled.

"I do believe it's a girl thing." Shino offered. "Or more precisely a fan-girl thing if you remember the females who were after the Uchiha back when we were in the academy."

"True but the girls aren't fan-girls anymore… Hey Shino you think if I started acting all dark and broody that I'd be more popular with the girls?"

Shino wisely choose not to comment and instead sped up away from Kiba.

"Oi! Oi! Shino!"

Naruto moved through the trees without a thought for the other ninjas keeping up with him, it was well after sunset when they arrived at the town Naruto spoke of. They got three rooms, one for Naruto, one for the girls and another for the guys at an inn. At dinner, Naruto opted for room service to avoid the others though Sakura and Tenten did knock on his door every so often, much to his annoyance. The Konoha nin took turns keeping watch, not only for possible attackers but also to make sure Naruto did not leave without them.

The rest of their journey was spent in tents as there was only one more village less than a day from Iwa in the direction they were heading. At the border, they had to wait for a border patrol to leave the area before they could move on. At night, they camped out where they could and were hidden and Naruto would send some Drones to set up a perimeter around them. Tenten and Sakura spent whatever time they could spare trying to talk to Naruto and getting him to open up. Tenten having more success than Sakura, much to the medic's charging.

They arrived at the last village before they reached Iwa which was less than a day away. After picking up some additional supplies and weapons from the local blacksmith, they had dinner before heading to the inn.

"Three rooms. One for me, one for the girls and one for the two guys." Naruto reached for a scroll but Tenten pushed pass him.

"Actually, I'd like to room with him." She pointed to Naruto.

Nobody knew what he was thinking because of his mask.

"Tenten! You can't sleep in the same room as a guy alone!" Sakura screamed.

"Why not?" Tenten wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and gave an innocent look.

Kakashi and Sasuke stepped away from Sakura as they could practically see and hear the steam coming out of her ears.

"It's… It's indecent!"

"Naruto won't do anything against my will. Won't you Naruto-kun?"

"Leave me out of this."

"Fine. Then I'm staying with you two as well."

"Why?"

"To keep you two out of trouble." Sakura reached over and grab the keys being held up by the receptionist and tossed one to Sasuke before walking off. While there were two single beds in Kakashi and Sasuke's room, there was only one queen-sized bed in the other.

After some 'discussion', it was decided that the girls will get the bed and Naruto the couch. He was going to protest or walk out to get another room but Kyuubi warned him against it for the sake of his health and the mission tomorrow.

So he took a sit at the table and started to think about tomorrow especially the targets he would have to hit first like the garrisons and guard posts closest to the start point of the assault, Tenten was laying on the bed reading a magazine and Sakura was taking a shower. Naruto closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "Welcome to my parlor… Said the spider to the fly." He thought with a dark smile as he pushed a few buttons on his left gauntlet.

---- Hive ----

Moonlight filled the corridor as a trapdoor to the surface was picked open and the trap disarmed. Six figures dropped into the corridor and moved silently down the corridor. The dim light revealed them to be ROOT ANBU. Danzo had gotten word of Naruto and having strange and deadly creatures at his disposal.

Having acquired a map of the Hive from Tsunade's office, Danzo wanted the creature to be captured for him to train and use or to be destroyed so that even if Naruto decided to help Tsunade he wouldn't be of much help. He (Naruto) was a fool so Danzo did not consider him much of a threat but the creatures could be another story.

The Queen looked up and 'smiled' like the predator she was, a spider waiting for its prey to enter its web. The ROOT ANBU fearlessly entered the room, the door slide closed behind them, not that it concerned them.

They drew their swords while one drew a pair of kunais with exploding tags and threw them at the Queen. Just as the kunais were sent flying, a Praetorian dropped from the ceiling and took the hits to the top of the head detonating them.

The fire and smoke cleared revealing the Praetorian was completely unharmed except for the smoke raising from the top of its head-crest which was smaller than the Queen's. It was taller than a Warrior just slightly shorter than the Predalien. Its body was also leaner than a Warrior's and it stood up-right.

The Praetorian suddenly disappeared from sight and reappeared in front of the closest ANBU, driving its clawed hand through his stomach, his last thought was how fast the Praetorian moved. The guard swung its tail at another ROOT member who blocked the strike with his sword.

Some of the other ROOT members jumped back and got into a fighting stance but what the would-be assassins failed to notice or even consider was that there was more than one Praetorian Guard in the Queen's chamber. Two of them realized too late as two more Praetorian reared their heads from their hiding place and shot their tongues through the back of their heads.

The lone female member of the group quickly went through a couple of hand seals but before she could complete it, she was ripped in half at the waist when a Praetorian grabbed her legs and another grabbed her under her arms and pulled in opposite directions.

One of the remaining ROOT ANBU felt something he hadn't felt in a long time and didn't think it was possible, he felt fear. He was so afraid that he turned and ran for the door only to find that it was locked. He was slowly and painfully torn apart by two Praetorians that dropped on top of him. His screams filled the chamber as his blood flowed and his limps torn from their joints.

The lone remaining ANBU rushed forward dodging all the guards and leap up, his sword ready to plunge it into the skull of the Queen but just as he got close enough the Queen's arms shot forward, one grabbed the throat of the ANBU and the other grabbed his arm at the wrist and with a hard twist and pull, snapped the arm and ripped it off at the shoulder. The ANBU was so shocked that he could not even scream; mercifully the Queen ended his suffering with a tongue strike through his mask between the eyes.

---- - ----

Naruto opened his eyes and smiled to himself, "Fools. The Queen is never alone and she is far from helpless."

Tenten looked up when she heard Naruto give a dark chuckle, "Naruto-kun?"

"Nothing Tenten. Just some pests that were taken care of."

Naruto closed his eyes to try and keep his mind focused on what he will be doing in just under a day till he felt Tenten press up against his back, hang her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"A ryou for your thoughts?"

"Just thinking about tomorrow."

"You know, we'll be right there to back you up."

"I don't want to be associated with Konoha now."

"Fine." Before Naruto could ask her what she meant, Tenten took off her forehead protector and kept it in her backpack. She walked back to Naruto and straddling his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist, "Then it will be just you and me then."

Naruto shook his head slowly, "No it will be just me, Kyuubi and the Angels tomorrow. I don't want you to be in harms way."

Tenten folded her arms across her chest and pouted, "Naruto, I'm not some fragile little girl you know. I'm an experienced Chunin."

"True but if I fall, I'm taking Iwagakure with me."

"What do you mean?" Tenten was almost afraid to ask.

Naruto held up his left arm, showing her his gauntlet that had a few key pads on it before flipping in open and showing five rectangular screens on the bottom. "The Predators believed in dying with honour and that meant taking your enemies with you and/or not leaving a trace of you behind. This is a self-destruct device; it should be large enough to destroy half a village."

"Na… Naruto."

"Promise me that tomorrow you and the others will just watch and if I fall, run. Run and never look back."

"Naruto. I can't."

"You have to. Promise me. Promise me you will do what I say or I will leave you and the others behind."

"I… I promise…"

Naruto smiled reassuringly and slowly pulled her towards him. Tenten closed her eyes just as their lips meet. The soft kiss soon turned passionate as Tenten licked his lips asking for permission which he gladly gave. Naruto's hands went to her hip and started to slide them up and under her top.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING!?"

The pair turned to see a red faced Sakura dressed in her night clothes which consisted of a pair of shorts n t-shirt pointing accusingly at them.

Naruto could feel a headache coming on but before he could stop himself, "What does it look like? We were making out."

Sakura looked shock then went absolutely red, "Hentai!" Tenten leap out of Naruto's lap as Sakura's punch connected to his face.

"I knew it! She's as violent as before maybe more." Naruto thought as he flew across the room.

"**Kit you still have so much to learn."** Naruto could feel Kyuubi shake his head while Tenten and Sakura continued to argue about what they were doing.

Next door Kakashi and Sasuke sat on there respective beds, Kakashi's nose in a familiar orange book but both listening to the noises from the next room.

"Kiba's going to throw a hissy fit when he hears about the three of them sharing a room."

"Ah huh." Came Kakashi's lazy reply.

"You got the previous issue?"

"Yup." Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out another orange book and handed it to Sasuke, who assumed a similar reading posture as Kakashi, both giggling every so often.

---- - ----

Naruto put his mask and cloak on before walking out the door, he'd decided to get an early start and hopefully leave the others behind but when he walked out into the hallway, he saw the others; he looked back into the room and noticed that the figures that were in the bed earlier had disappeared.

"Hn. Clones."

"You weren't planning to leave without us were you, Naruto-kun? Sakura asked.

"That was exactly what I was thinking. " He answered as he walked pass them.

"Hn. There he goes with that attitude again."

"Naruto! We're a team and you're not going alone!"

Naruto stopped in his track and answered without turning around, "We have NOT been a team for years Sakura. And even if we were back then we sure as hell aren't now."

Sakura felt like she was going to cry which Sasuke noticed and placed a comforting and supporting hand on her shoulder. "I know and I'm trying to make up for it…"

Naruto continued to walk away till Kakashi appeared in front of him, "Do not get in my way Hatake."

Kakashi winced at his tone and addressing him by his family name, "I'm not going to fight you and I'm definitely not going to stop you. But like I told you when we left the Hive, we're going with you to observe and if necessary back you up."

"That's right dobe. You may not think of us as a team but you're still part of Team 7 or Team Kakashi as we're called now. So we're coming whether you like it or not."

"Do as you wish but I won't be taken alive. You better fill them in Tenten."

"Hai."

---- Iwagakure ----

The rocky mountain ranges that surround the village and country provide a natural stronghold so it was only natural that some of its ninja were a little too relaxed for their own good while out on patrol even during a time of war just like the squad of Chunin that were currently patrolling the western side of the range that over looked the village. Just as a Shinobi finished relieving himself and pulled his pants back up, a wire looped around his neck and pulled him up a few feet.

"YO! Kenshi! Hurry Up!" The Iwa Shinobi and Kunoichi turned towards the direction their teammate walked off to when they heard a twig snap.

Naruto rushed forward covering the Shinobi's mouth with his left hand and stabbed him with his right wrist-blades. The Kunoichi drew a kunai and was about to attack Naruto when Tenten appeared and knocked the kunai out of her hand with a pair of tonfa and followed through with a few well placed strikes knocking her out.

"Good. Summon a Drone to take her back to the Hive."

Tenten was hesitant; she knew what awaited the woman if she was brought back to the Hive. Tenten bit her thumb and summoned a Warrior and shakingly pointed to the unconscious women, "Ta… Take her back to… to the Hive."

The Warrior did as instructed and disappeared in a puff of smoke before she fell to her knees. Naruto walks up to her and placed his hands on her shoulder.

"It gets easier with time."

"I don't know if I want it to get easier. It makes me felt like I've lost my humanity if I did."

"I understand. I really do but we are ninja. That career choice always involves death even more so when we have to maintain the Hive."

"Thanks." She got to her feet and gave Naruto a look of concern, "Naruto please. Won't you reconsider letting me back you up?"

"No. Now go and hide with the others and remember your promise." Tenten nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Besides if I die you'll be in-charge of the Hive… More or less." He joked and chuckled at her shocked expression before pushing her towards the direction of the others who were observing at the edge of the tree-line overlooking a cliff. Naruto stood on the edge of the cliff; it was a short drop to the bottom, nothing he or his Angels could not survive.

"**You ready Kit?"**

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"**Good then let the slaughter begin. Bwhahaha…"**

"Aren't you getting just a little too excited?"

"**Hey cut me some slack. I'm a Demon and it's the first time we'll be involved in a battle of this magnitude."**

"Fine." Naruto's pupils became slits and a red chakra cloak started to surround him as drew on the fox's chakra. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Sixteen shadow clones with slit eyes sans the chakra cloak appeared and paired off with one creating a Rasengan and the other applied elemental manipulation.

Off in the distance, the Konoha nin were watching what was happening with apprehension, they didn't know if Naruto was really that strong or that stupid to take on a major Hidden Village on his own, maybe he was both. Kakashi had his hitai-ite up and held up a video camera.

"Is he going to use that new wind technique of his?" Tenten wondered.

"It would be a smart move; a few of those in the right places can severely cripple a village's defenses." Sasuke offered.

"Yes but the screech from just one of those things is enough to give him away plus if you think about it as powerful as that move was, it's not exactly a block-buster." Sakura countered.

"I don't think he's using that move. Look." Kakashi pointed.

Instead of glowing brightly and giving off a loud screech, the Rasengans in the clones' hands started to condensed and darken and gave off a soft deep hum. Just as the Rasengans shrunk to the size of a golf ball and turned completely black, a translucent sphere/shell expended from the core to the size of a regular Rasengan as well as four balls of light moving within the shell around the core like electrons around an atom.

"DARK STYLE: RASENSHINKUU!"

The clones yelled and threw the black sphere at their intended targets which flew like little black comets. Instead of exploding on impact, the moment they hit their target, everything around them started to get crash and crumble before being sucked into it like a mini black-hole. As the black-holes sucked in more matter including people, they grew larger till they were at least twenty metres across but their damage range was far greater. As the voids grew smaller and then disappeared, the only thing left in their wake was barren land and clean empty carters at ground zero.

Naruto dismissed all but five of the clones and cut both his palms. The clones wiped some blood on their thumbs and jumped back, together all the Narutos ran through the necessary hand seals and slammed their palms on the ground. In seconds a giant cloud covered the area and quickly cleared. As the giant cloud cleared, there around the Narutos were hundreds of Drones.

"You all know what to do. GO!"

Leading the charge, Naruto's clones and the Drones ran down the sides of the cliff like a black waterfall and ran through the village spreading out across the Hidden Rock Village with the real Naruto heading up the rear.

Naruto fired two duel-prong darts from his right gauntlet that sent their targets flying back into a wall, the darts however did not stop till they flew through their targets and imbedded themselves in the brick wall. Two Iwa Chunin attacked Naruto who ducked the first punch aimed at his head but got caught in the stomach by the other but Naruto was able to slash both Chunins with his wrist-blade before getting a double kick from the Chunin. Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke as he hit the ground.

"Shadow clone?!"

The Chunins did not have time to think as a couple of Drones dropped on them from above and two of them disappeared with the pair of Chunins.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE THINGS?!" an Iwa Kunoichi asked.

"Who cares! Just stop them!" yelled her teammate.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu!" the Iwa Kunoichi cast the Genjutsu at the pack of charging Xenos, her teammates ready to strike when the summons froze in fear but to their horror and shock they did not stop and were soon overrun.

Naruto tossed one of his clones a bluish silver ball and ran off as a two teams of Genin and their instructors approached. The clone threw the ball at a group of approaching Iwa nin and disappeared in a puff of smoke as the ball hit the ground and gave off a loud high pitched screech that knocked out and paralyzed the nin, allowing Drones to move in and capture them.

Naruto drew a glaive and rushed towards a group of four Iwa nin, he ducked under a kunai slashed aimed for his head and with a back-sweep, cut the man's left leg off at the thigh. In a swift motion, he followed through with an up-swing and cut off the Kunoichi's arm. Moving pass the Kunoichi, he went low, trying to take out the legs of a Shinobi who jumped over him avoiding the attack. A shadow clone of Naruto rolled behind him and slashed the Shinobi in mid-air.

"Ninja Art: Poison Gas!" A purple cloud blew from the Kunoichi's mouth and covered Naruto.

But the next thing she knew she was caught in a metal net that kept getting tighter and tighter. Naruto walked out of the poison cloud and looked at the struggling woman. "Sorry poison hardly affects me."

As Naruto walked off, a man with an Iwa hitai-ite and Jounin vest appeared. "My name is Kenji Mikado, Iwa's Wolverine."

"What the hell is a Wolverine?"

"A fierce and dangerous creature that should not be underestimated."

"Sounds just like me."

Naruto and Kenji rushed forward but just as they were close enough to hit each other, two of Naruto's shadow clones appeared in front of him and started to punch and kick the Jounin before one rolled behind him and kicked him in the back while the one in front kicked him up and the real Naruto flipped above him and kicked him into the ground. Naruto walked over to the crater and as the dust settled, he saw the body of the Jounin turn to mud.

"Shit! Bushin."

Naruto took two punches to the stomach and a roundhouse kick to the head which sent him through the door of a house. As Kenji got closer to the door, Naruto blew a hole in the wall with his plasma-caster and walked out firing. Kenji dodged most of the plasma bolts and threw some kunai to intercept the rest.

Naruto created a shadow clone and transformed himself into a Demon Windmill shuriken and was thrown at the Elite Jounin who blocked the shuriken with a kunai but was thrown back by a Rasengan from Naruto as he changed back.

"Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings Jutsu!" Kenji called out and charged forward as the Genjutsu took effect and Naruto looked around almost confused. "Got you!"

Just as Kenji was within striking distance, Naruto ducked the kunai aimed for his head and connected to the side of his attacker's head with a heel kick.

"How!?"

"Sorry Genjutsus don't affect me."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Kenji jumped up fully intending to take Naruto's head off with a kick but had to dodge a near point-blank plasma bolt aimed at his head and retaliated with a reverse elbow which broke the plasma-caster. Naruto tried to hit the Wolverine with a couple of darts but had to block a kunai with his wrist-blade after his attempt. Taking advantage of Naruto pushing him back, Kenji connected with a kick to Naruto's head.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"

Naruto tried to regain his balance but found it nearly impossible on the soft muddy ground.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb!"

"SHIT!"

Naruto was hit hard by the mud flow and clashed through the walls of a building before it collapse from the damage caused by Naruto and the jutsu. Kenji didn't waste any time, shooting forward as he threw a punch. Naruto stood up just in time for the fist to connect with his face and countered with one of his own. Kenji blocked it and attempted a roundhouse kick to the blonde's face which connected.

"You fight very well and I still haven't gotten your name."

Naruto pulled off his mask and spat out some blood, "Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

The young Hunter ducked beneath another kick and sent a swift uppercut to the man's stomach. Grimacing in pain, Kenji stumbled back a few feet, reaching into his pouch, grabbing three kunai in each hand and threw them at Naruto. Using his wrist-blades, he parried even cut in half some of the thrown projectiles, before launching a net at Kenji. He shunshined behind Naruto and launched a stone spike from the ground into his chest. Lucky for Naruto his armor was harder than the stone causing the stone tip to break but it still left a noticeable dent in his armor and threw him back.

Kenji grabbed an oil lump and lit it with some rubble that was ablaze and threw it at Naruto who brought his cloak up to protect his face. He tore his burning cloak off and threw a plasma mine; Kenji avoided the blast and threw three explosive kunai at Naruto who managed to avoid them.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Naruto rushed forward just behind the wind front and with a flying kick sent the Jounin who was bracing himself against the wind and sent him crashing into the side of a building. Breathing heavily, Naruto approached the downed Jounin who was starting to get to his feet.

"You are definitely a worthy opponent Uzumaki-san."

"As are you Mikado-san, it's been a long time since anyone's given me this much of a challenge."

"But this battle is mine. I doubt you have that much chakra left and your injuries are worst than mine."

"I still have a trick or two left." Naruto answered as he spat out more blood.

"I highly doubt that."

"TAJUU KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!" A hundred shadow clones appeared around Naruto and charged the surprised Jounin.

Kenji managed to fend off the first few dozen clones but was brought down and overwhelmed when a dart flew through the clones hit his thigh. After the beat down, most of the clones disappeared leaving three to hold onto the beat Iwa Jounin. As a bleeding and panting Naruto approached, he created a katana with his dark energy.

"You…truly are a great ninja but underestimating me was your downfall." Naruto complimented as he drove his sword through the man's heart and leaned close to his ear, "And I am also the son of the 4th Hokage."

Dismissing the clones, Naruto pulls his sword out in a down and out motion, slicing Kenji's heart and chest open. The dark sword dissolved into nothing as Naruto stood over the corpse of the dead Jounin, his face still showing the shock he felt as Naruto died and removed his hitai-ite. Using his right wrist-blade, Naruto cut away the dead man's vest and shirt before cutting into the flesh and bone of his back and reached in and pulled out his spine and skull, letting out an inhuman roar as he held up his new prize.

Hanging the skull on his back, Naruto moved towards the Tsuchikage Tower, he had to end this now, he won't last another fight with a Jounin level opponent but thankfully his Drones were keeping most of the shinobi busy.

Naruto stopped less than a hundred metres from the walls that surrounded the Kage tower and cut both his palms, ran through the necessary hand seals and slammed both palms on the ground to his sides, a cloud spread across an the area, covering some of the building obscuring everything from view. After a few moments, the cloud cleared and there around Naruto, next to him and on the building were hundreds upon hundreds of Drone reinforcements.

"ATTACK!"

---- - ----

The Konoha nin watched in awe and fear at the death and destruction that Naruto was reaping, knowing that this could easily be the fate of the Hidden Leaf Village if Naruto decided to turn against them.

"Kami-sama…"

They watched as hundreds of Drones scaled the outer walls of the Tsuchikage Tower like a black tidal wave of death, killing and capturing every living thing that stood in their way. A few Iwa ANBU appeared on the top balcony and managed to hold of the wave for mere seconds before they were outflanked and overwhelmed. But just as the first few Xenos entered the balcony; it was engulfed in flames as a loud explosion was heard throughout the village.

All the Angels stopped moving and 'stared' at the destroyed tower for a moment before letting a out high-pitched scream which to the survivors and the observers sounded like a victory roar.

Kakashi lowered his camera as he and the others watch as the Angels slowly walked through and spread out through the streets. Most of the ninjas and villagers had lost all hope when the tower was destroyed and just surrendered; some of the ninjas even took their own lives. Those that did not fight back and surrendered were left alone but there were still a large number of ninjas and even some villagers who were ready to fight to the death and death was what they got one way or another.

TBC

A/N:  
RASENSHINKUU = Spiraling Void (at least that's what the translator said Shinkuu means).

Next chapter - Up-ROOT-ed will be up in 2 weeks. Find out how Konoha reacts to the news.


	8. UpROOTed

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or AvP.

A/N:  
The possiblity of me writing a Lemon (ever) are slim, I might imply it but I am doubtful I'll write one, I usually skip Lemons these days. Hanabi is out though I have enjoyed reading a few NarutoxHanabi fics, she's out for this one. I'm thinking about dropping her in a relationship w/ Konohamaru or a love triange with Konohamaru and Moegi. Shion and Koyuki are out, for reasons which Naruto will explain in the next only Kunoichis will be with him in a relationship.

Naruto has no allegiances to any village per say but there are people he does care for and people who have not done him any wrong like Tsunade and Iruka. Good and bad, hero and villain all depends on whose point of view you are taking like how Wave and Snow view Naruto as a Hero. Naruto is still human and as stated in chapter 4 and he does indiscriminately use people as hosts.

Now I might have goofed a little with the Iwa Genin team since I did not mention age they can be taken as a young Genin team but regardless moving past that point there will be a few young ninjas who will be killed. I'm going to try and work a post-mortem on Iwa in chapter 10.

Naruto main goal is not to glorify the hunt, parts of the Predator culture are adopted by Naruto while some may be ignored or reduced in importance. Remember Naruto adopted the ways of the Predator, how much has not been revealed or even decided. Predators do not indiscriminately kill any and everyone, they do not kill unarmed people, children, women especially pregnant women as far as I know there are few expectations to these like a Predator fighting Witchblade.

In the Dark Horse comic, Alien and Predator Vs Witchblade and Darkness a Predator tag-teams with a xeno-drone and more or less uses it as a tracking/hunting dog so the xeno do not always follow the Queen but like I said near the start of this fic traits/abilities of the Xenos (I know more about Xenos than I do the Preds) are rather ambiguous even in cannon so for the sake of this fic I will try to make as clear as possible the traits and abilities of the Xenos. Sometimes mixing oil and water is what crossovers are about so some compromises may have to be made once in awhile.

Again the ability of the Predalien is based on the AVP:R movie and I'm stucking to that. There was an attempt by the Xenos in Nightmare Asylum to use a human female to give birth to multiple drones through the virgina and connected to umbilical cords but it was a failed attempt as the newborns did not last long after brith and the status of the female is unknown persumed dead as it was a flashback and the guy was the only survivor. The Hive was sick ans dying likely from a mold/spore found on the planet/Hive. There is another more economical way to increase the number of Drones but I'll save that for later.

Sigh... And for those still questioning Naruto's overall goals and objectives and why he acts like he does then you can read the Spoiler in chapter 6.

---- Konoha, Hokage's Office ----

Tsunade sat at her desk a bottle of sake in front of her and a cup in her hand but she had hardly touched it. Honestly she wasn't looking to get wasted; she'd already cleared all the paperwork that she had to do for the day probably the next couple of days. It's been that way since Asuma and the others had returned and told her not only were they unable to set-up a meeting with Naruto, he was on his way to Iwa to attack it. She was worried for two reasons. One, was the pure absolute worry she was feeling of the sheer amount of danger that Naruto was heading into and there was no way she could send people to help, two, the Hokage Mountain-sized headache she was sure to get when word gets out of Naruto's attempt. She hoped he succeeded; the pros out-weighed the cons of him failing.

It did not surprise her that Team Kakashi went with Naruto, what surprised her was that Tenten went with them and that she had developed feelings for Naruto during her stay at his base. Another problem was Hinata, while her father had somewhat softened over the years she was severely testing his patience by locking herself in her room since she got back. She couldn't blame Hinata though, the poor girl's been in love with the brat for pretty much forever and having another girl move in must have been pretty devastating. The Godaime was also worried about her apprentice; based on the counselors' reports and her own talks with the pink haired girl, she would have wagered that Sakura would have made some kind of advance towards Naruto. Guess her title of the Legendary Sucker still holds true.

"Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade looks up and gives a tired smile to Shizune.

"Are you ok?"

"Just thinking about some stuff."

"Naruto?"

"Ya… I don't think a day has gone by that I haven't thought or worried about the gak… Naruto."

Shizune took a cup and poured some sake for herself, she may not have missed Naruto as much as her sensei but she still missed him a lot and so have a lot of other people. Konoha had never been the same since he… left. Everything's been quieter and less bright. She was about to say something when there was a knock on the door and she got up to open the door and did not notice anyone and was about to close the door when a voice called out to her.

"Hey. Down here."

"Pakkun." Shizune moved out of the way of the panting and sweating nin-dog.

Pakkun gave the tape to Tsunade who decided to watch it while Shizune carried a tired Pakkun out to get some food and water. As the tape rolled on, showing Tsunade what Kakashi saw, her eyes grew wider and wider till they were at their limits.

"SHIZUNE!!!"

---- Iwagakure (Days Earlier) ----

Naruto walked up a slope towards where he knew the rest where waiting and placed his hand on the sizable dent on his armor and groaned before looking over his shoulder and spoke, "You really did a number on my ribs, Wolverine-san." He looked to the village and watched the destruction that was brought to Iwa thanks to him, His Angels swarming the village looking for those that would still resist.

He turned to the tallest peak surrounding Iwagakure and smirked when he saw the Predator mark curved into it by his clones, a reminder to Iwa and anyone else that he was responsible for all the death and destruction witnessed by all today. Now it was up to Konoha and/or Suna to pick up the scraps.

Naruto walked up to a tree and fell to his knees and started to cough up blood and started to remove his chest armor. "Shit. That hurts like hell."

"**Easy Kit. I'm healing you as best as I can but you'll still have some blood in your lungs which you will have to clear yourself or get your pink-haired friend to do it."**

"I'll think about it."

"**You got damn lucky Kit especially since the Tsuchikage decided to turn tail and run instead of facing you. You might have been in real trouble since you had problem taking on a Jounin I doubt you could have taken on a Kage."**

"Shut it fox. I could have used Awakening, besides if you didn't think I was ready why'd you let me go ahead."

"**I believed the plan would work and the overwhelming numbers of the Angels would have been enough and they were."**

"Yes we won but at heavier loses than expected."

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto dropped his armor and turned to see Tenten and Sakura running ahead of Kakashi and Sasuke towards him. Tenten beat Sakura to him and tackled him and hugged him tightly much to Sakura and Naruto's displeasure though for different reasons.

"Tenten! Get off him! He's hurt!" Sakura yelled as she pulled Tenten off.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun." Tenten gave Naruto an apologetic look before shooting a glare at Sakura.

"Hold still Naruto, I'll heal you." She reached over to him but he stopped her hand.

"Later. We'll get out of here first."

"But Naruto-kun…"

"Later Sakura." His voice left no room for argument as he sealed his damaged weapons, mask and armor into a scroll and got to his feet and shakingly got to his feet and started to walk away but his legs failed him.

"Naruto-kun!" The girls caught him before he hit the ground.

"Listen here Naruto! Either you let me heal you now or I'll beat you into unconsciousness then heal you."

"Pff. Fine." Naruto reluctantly lay on the ground to allow Sakura to work.

"You should have let us helped you Naruto-kun… Even… Even if we're not a… Team anymore. Iwa is our enemy and we would have helped." Naruto just kept quiet while Sakura completed her work. "There. Done."

"Thank you… Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled as Tenten helped him to his feet and they left the area. As they left, the Drones started to disappear till the only thing that was were the survivors, dead bodies and the remains of a decimated village.

---- - ----

Naruto and his companions stopped after getting miles away from Iwa; it was at a slower pace than Naruto would have liked but till he could get healed fully, he would have to move at a slower pace. In the end, they set-up camp in the forest they were in and Sakura was able to heal Naruto further and remove the blood from his lung.

Naruto unsealed his armor and removed his newest bloody trophy much to the discomfort of the others. First blasting it with a cleaning and drying agent before looking at his handy work. Curiosity getting the better of her, Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat and asked why he kept that particular ninja's skull.

"It's one of the ways of the Predator that I have adopted. Some Predators were said to have hunted humans at one time, not just use them as breeding stock though we were considered minor trophies. I keep the skulls and forehead protectors of strong opponents, I guess in a kind of twisted way it's my way of honoring them but also a way to show my strength."

"Na… Naruto-kun you don't exp… expect me to collect hu… human trophies do you?" Tenten asked nervously.

"I expect you to collect trophies Ten-chan, nothing more nothing less."

Tenten sighed in relief and blushed at his nickname for her.

Sakura decided to ignore the nickname and ask another question that popped into her head, "Where do you normally get your trophies Naruto and are they were all skulls because that was all we saw in your room."

"I go on hunting trips occasionally to hone my skills but sometimes I encounter creatures that I deem worthy of being trophies and of course I need money for supplies so bounty hunting this the easiest way to earn that money… Sometimes."

"And your trophies?" Sasuke asked as he threw another log on the fire.

"Well I have taken tusks and teeth from animals but for humans it's just been skulls so far, but who knows, if I go against a dojutsu user, I might take their eyes as trophies instead." The smile he gave sent a chill down Sasuke and Kakashi's spines.

"Not funny Dobe. Not funny." Sasuke grumbled as he reached for a piece of meat on the fire.

"Well it is to me Teme. We will part ways in the morning so that you can return to Konoha and inform the Hokage what's happened."

"I've already sent Pakkun with a message to the Hokage."

"Regardless, we will part ways in the morning."

---- Konoha, Hokage's Office (Present Time) ----

The remainder of the Konoha 11, including Hinata and their senseis, were summoned to the Hokage's office by several ANBU.

"As you all know, Naruto made an attempt to attack Iwa several days ago and Pakkun arrived earlier today with a tape from Kakashi who was recording the battle." She started the video. "Naruto was able to seriously cripple Iwa; some shinobi from Suna and Konoha are approaching Iwa to survey the damage and if possible, secure it."

"Yosh! So Naruto-kun was successful!"

"Just how strong is that kid…" Asuma wondered out loud.

They watched and wondered what was that technique that Naruto was using and if it was another elemental version of the Rasengan.

"Is that how powerful Naruto-kun is?" Kurenai asked as they watched the results of the Rasenshinkuu and followed up with summoning hundreds of his Angels.

"Only Naruto could have pulled off a victory using such a strategy. Using that new technique of his to destroy most of the strategic targets, then overwhelming them with so many of his Angels." Shikamaru offered.

"There must have been hundreds close to a thousand of those things."

"Yes and he used them and his shadow clones to distract and take down as many of their ninjas as possible without exposing himself too much." Asuma added. "Those weapons of his are no joke." He pointed out as Naruto threw his Smart Disc that cut through a couple of kunai before cutting the legs of a ninja off then cutting another clean through the waist.

"He looks like he's having a hard time with that Jounin." Kurenai pointed out, "Is that Iwa's Wolverine?"

Asuma whistled, "It is and it looks like he's giving Naruto a hard time." Everyone watched silently as the fight progressed till finally Naruto pulled off a win. "Damn. Naruto's gotten quite strong, low Jounin at least I think."

"Most people tend to underestimate Naruto and it looks like this time it did not just cost one person but an entire village." Shino pointed put while Shikamaru, Kiba and Neji nodded in agreement.

"Hey. What's he doing?" Kiba asked as he pointed at the TV. "OH MY GOD! DID HE JUST… JUST…"

"I think I'm about to lose my youthful breakfast…"

Kurenai and Shizune looked sick and Tsunade was fairing little better. Hinata had fainted and Ino had to take a seat before helping Hinata. Kiba looked ready to show everyone what he had for breakfast as Naruto attached his trophy to his back and approached the Kage Tower and summoned more Angels.

"Damn how many of those things does he have?"

"I think we better revise our estimates from hundreds to thousands. What a drag."

"A thousand of those things storming any village will be a major headache and somehow he managed to catch them when they are at a low point of their defense." Asuma pointed out.

"The gaki always seemed to have the devil's luck with him."

"I don't think so Hokage-sama." Everyone turned their attention to Ino, "Before we left, the other girls and I spoke to Naruto and he knew that most of their forces had already left Iwa. When asked how, he just said he had his sources." Hinata nodded in agreement.

"This is troubling. Is it possible that he has a spy network of sorts?"

"It is logical."

"The brat's become a real headache. There's no choice, I have to inform the Council about Naruto and what's he done."

"The shit's about to hit the fan." Kiba commented and nobody could disagree with him.

---- Kajiyamura ----

Kajiyamura, the Village of Blacksmiths, was once a thriving village near the border between Fire and Earth Country filled with many skilled blacksmiths which made a range of metal products, though the most famous of those blacksmiths were actually weapon-smiths. However, at the end of the Third Shinobi War, most of the more famous and sought-after blacksmiths left to set-up shop at other major business centers, some even heading into Earth Country and with them went most of the business. Fortunately, instead of becoming a ghost town or destitute, the village managed to survive through farming and a modest tourist trade thanks in part to the near-by forest and artificial hot-springs.

Naruto woke up in bed feeling refreshed after his battle at Iwa and a couple of nights in the forest and was about to get out bed till he felt an extra pair of arms around him. Looking to either side, he noticed he wasn't alone in bed.

"I thought I told the two of you to get your own room or stay on the couch." Naruto growled.

"Ah but Naruto-kun, it was cold last night and after everything we've been through, why are you acting like that." Tenten pouted before glaring at Sakura, "Her I can understand."

"What was that Panda!?"

"You heard me Pinky!"

"Weapons Whore!"

"Billboard-brow!"

"Meatball Head!"

"Hot-head!"

Taking advantage of the distraction of the two girls who got off the bed and faced each other on either side, Naruto slid out the bottom of the bed, grabbed a shirt, a couple of scrolls and headed out the door. He wanted breakfast and ignored a certain fox wanting to see a cat-fight.

"WHY ARE WE EVEN ARGUING!? Do you even like Naruto-kun!?" Tenten yelled.

Sakura stopped mid-yell and thought for a few moments before she looked down, her hair covering her eyes, "I… I don't know."

"Well guess what? I do." Tenten walked towards the door but stopped as she reached for the door-knob. "Honestly Sakura, I think you do like him but make no mistake, I like Naruto-kun too and it's not because of his weapons either and I'm not going to lose him to anyone."

---- - ----

"Hey Dobe. Mind if I join you?" Sasuke sat down before Naruto even answered.

"I'd rather you were halfway back to Konoha by now, Teme."

"So how'd you Sleep last night." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto sipped his coffee before answering, "Sleeping was fine. Waking up was the problem."

"You know it's not nice to string the girls along especially Sakura. She really missed you and cares about you." Sasuke gave him a concerned look before drinking his own cup of coffee.

"Since when did you did you take on the role of caring and concern friend?"

"About the same time you took up the role of brooding bastard."

"Better than a brooding emo bastard."

"I was not emo!"

"But you were a bastard."

"Just eat your breakfast Dobe." Sasuke pushed the plate of bacon and eggs which the waitress placed on the table towards Naruto and ordered a plate for himself.

---- - ----

Naruto dressed in a brown cloak sans his armor and mask walked up to a blacksmith shop with an old man working by the anvil. Though old, the man did not seem the least bit disturbed by the work he was doing.

"I need my armor repaired." Naruto showed the armor to the aged blacksmith.

"Of course young man." The blacksmith smiled and took the armor and started to heat it and spoke in a softer voice, "Goku wants to speak with you."

"That's good 'cause I need to speak with him as well."

"He's in the back. Your armor will be ready tomorrow; this metal you use is light but it's a pain to work with."

"Yes but it's worth it."

The blacksmith grunted as Naruto walked in to the backroom and was greeted by a young man slightly older than he was with brown hair and glasses.

"Ah. Naruto-san." The young man bowed.

"Goku. Good to see you again." Naruto returned the bow, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes I am please to inform you that I was able to recreate the external power pack and trigger for your shoulder plasma-caster."

"Good timing." Naruto unsealed his damaged mask and plasma-caster. "It was damaged in battle but at least with the power pack, I can use it as a hand-held till I get back to the Hive."

"Yes but is it wise Naruto-san? I saw you traveling with some Konoha nin and I thought you did not intend to return to Konoha."

"They decided to tag along for old times sake. I have little intention of returning to Konoha as one of their shinobi; not that I would not return at all but you have a point, I will have to wait till I return to the Hive to repair my gear. Anything else?"

"Just one more. One of our other associates has informed me that he has made some progress on the lift system and we found someone willing to work on your larger project."

"Excellent. What about the recreation of the alloys?"

"I'm afraid while we've made some progress, it will take us years to recreate anything even close to resembling the properties of the alloys you brought us but my grandfather has some new materials coming in and with his expertise, we're sure to make a breakthrough but don't you have enough of the weapons?"

"Yes I do but eventually they will run out and I can't spend time searching the battlefield for weapons I can reuse."

"I understand Naruto-san and we will do everything in our power to help you like you helped us."

"Thank you." Naruto reached into his cloak and threw Goku a scroll. "For you and your grandfather and I will send a couple of shadow clones in the evening to learn the necessary skills and information from you."

"Thank you Naruto-san and thank you for your bodyguards."

"They are for your protection and mine."

---- Konoha, Council Chamber ----

The Council of Konoha gathered in their usual meeting room with the Hokage's seat at the head of the table closest to the door and the Elders and their invited guest (Danzo) sat at the other end with the Civilians on the left and the Shinobi on the right.

"Hokage-sama, why have you called for this meeting?" Hiashi Hyuuga asked.

"I have received confirmation of an attack on Iwa which has left them severely crippled."

There were some excited chatter around the room before one of the civilians asked, "Who did it, was it our ninja or Suna's?"

"Neither." Noticing that everyone was waiting for Tsunade to explain, she continues, "You all are aware of the incident involving the Hunter that attacked those enemy camps as well as some of our ninjas in pursuit of some escapees and had strange and dangerous creatures with him? It was him."

"Then we should try to get him to join us. I'm sure he will be a powerful addition to Konoha." A middle-age Civilian Council woman stated and received many nods of support.

"I had sent a few Teams to try and find and negotiate with this Hunter but they were unable to set-up a meeting before he decided to attack Iwa but we were about to confirm his identify." Everyone leaned forward, "The Hunter is confirmed as Naruto Uzumaki."

There were many shouts of outrage especially from the civilian side of the council.

"I say we capture the Demon and force him to hand over control of those creatures, then execute him!" yelled the same Councilwoman and received many shouts of support.

"He destroyed Iwa in twenty minutes, something we've been trying to do for twenty years and you want to go to war with him?" Tsunade asked, disgusted by the stupidity of the Civilian Council members and crashed one of the chair handles trying to keep her temper under control.

"Maybe we don't have to force him." A long silver haired Councilman with glasses spoke with a confidence smirk. "Uzumaki was always an idiot, I'm sure we can convince him to 'help' us. Then when he is no longer of any use… we get rid of him."

This was met by more support and resulted in Tsunade completely destroying the chair handle, not that any of the happily oblivious civilians who were either chatting about what they would do with the 'Demon Brat' and how they would soon be part of the strongest village in all the Elemental Countries. Most of the Shinobi felt the same as the Hokage about the civilians and were growing more annoyed and disgusted with them. It was at this point that Tsunade decided to rain on their parade.

"I highly doubt that he will 'help' Konoha." She spoke out gaining everyone's attention and pulled out a book.

"What's that?"

"It's a Bingo Book, Naruto's Bingo Book." Tsunade quickly flipped through the pages and randomly stopped at one page, she'd already read it and knew what was in it, "In it is pretty much every member of ROOT and its supporters that Naruto wants or intents to get rid off before he decides what to do with Konoha."

"That is outrageous! The arrogance of that Demon!" yelled a bald Council Member.

"See for yourself Councilman Ikari, after all you are in it." Tsunade slid the book over to him, trying her best to keep the amusement out of her face and voice, she never did like him.

"Danzo you have to do something!" Ikari was as white as a sheet as he threw the book to Danzo who looked through the book; his eye was open and it widened slightly which did not go unnoticed by the experienced Shinobi.

"Do not worry Councilman Ikari, I do not know how he got these names but there is no way that brat or any of his minions can get into Konoha let alone his intended targets."

Ikari laughed nervously, "Ha…haha… you're right there is no way that demon brat can get me, he's just… AHHHH!"

Ikari was cut off by a barbed tail busting through the ceiling and impaling him through the back of his chair and his stomach. He was lifted up and brought face-to-face with the Drone that had impaled him before putting him out of his misery with a tongue shot through his skull before tossing the corpse aside and dropped onto the table revealing itself to be a Runner.

The Runner turned towards Danzo and charged; the rest of the Council scattered while Danzo summoned four of his ROOT ANBU. Two of the ROOT members rushed forward whiles the other two stayed in defensive position in front of Danzo. The Runner ducked under the sword strikes of the attacking ANBU and in quick succession, spat acid at one of them who blocked the spray with his sword which he discarded only to be tackled by the Runner and killed by a tongue strike through his mask.

The Runner flipped out of the way of another sword strike and shot its tail towards the ROOT member who blocked and parried the follow up strikes from the Runner before cutting off the end of its tail. The Drone screamed in pain before backing up on its hind-legs, spraying the deadly fluids at its targets. The Shinobi of the Council got out of the way just in case and some regular ANBU appeared and moved some of the Civilians to safety.

Using the Runner's distraction to their advantage, the three ROOT ANBU attacked, one pinned its tail to the table while the other two stabbed it in the chest but with the last of its strength, the Runner ripped out the throat of one of the ROOT members and shot its tongue through the mask of the other before dropping the two dead bodies and collapsing between them. The sole remaining ROOT ANBU appeared next to Danzo for a moment before disappearing again.

"Well I guess we can at least exami…" Tsunade was cut off when a blue symbol for 'Fire' appeared on the head of the dead Runner before it was consumed in an intense blue flame. "Guess not." Tsunade sighed and fell back into her chair.

"What are you going to do about the Demon!?"

"Nothing." Everyone was stunned at what she said, "As Hokage, it is my duty to ensure the safety of the WHOLE village, not just a few." She really wanted to say 'A few pain in the ass bigots' but she thought better of it.

The room was in an up-roar, mostly on the Civilian side of the Council.

"We are still at war with the other three villages full of skilled Shinobi, ready to try and wipe this village out of existence and you want to make an enemy of the one person that may tip the scales in our favor or wipe us off the face off the map in a heartbeat."

While no one outright challenged her, the mumbles were loud enough to let her know that many were not happy.

"And let me remind you that from my reports, he has hordes of these… Angels as he calls them at his disposal and after his attack on Iwa, he will have more… much more."

"Then what do you propose… Hokage-sama." Danzo spat-out her title as if it left a foul taste in his mouth.

"The way I see it, the Best option would be to protect the targets as best as we can while we try to broker a truce or even an alliance with Naruto. Either that or we either kill or hand over the targets ourselves to improve our chances or we leave the targets to fend for themselves."

"Then maybe we need a new Hokage!" shouted a Civilian Council Member followed by shouts of support from others.

"Then so be it." That shut them up. "Naruto has already stated in his letter that if I choose to, I may leave this village unharmed by him as long as I do not take anyone in that book with me. Once I am gone, he will attack in an instant. If I or anyone else he still cares about is threatened or held against their will, he will attack."

Members of the Council, both Civilian and Shinobi, stared at her in disbelief though some like the Nara, Yamanaka, Akamichi, Hyuuga and Aburame kept quiet to listen to her explain, though they had a fairly good idea why she would say that.

"The only reason I came back and became the Godaime in the first place was because Naruto made me believe that this village was worth something, that this village was worth protecting and that being Hokage was an honor. That was what Naruto taught me."

Everyone in the room fell silent.

"But since he… was driven out by this very village, I've struggled to remain Hokage. I realized that I was am not as strong as Naruto emotionally even with everything that this village threw at him till the day he left, he only wanted to protect this village and he would have given his life to do it… just like his father did."

Everyone was puzzled by what she meant but were not able to ask to explain as she got up and headed for the door with Shizune.

"Replace me if you wish but tomorrow, I will reveal Naruto's heritage and what he's done."

As she walked out the door, she was followed by the Nara, Yamanaka, Akamichi, Hyuuga and Aburame clan heads and some other members.

---- Konoha, ROOT Hideout ----

Danzo was having a good day, at the rate things are going, he will not even need to assassinate Tsunade to become Hokage; she will be removed. The problem is the some of the Clan-heads and even some of the Civilian Council members; they were the ones that stood in his way of becoming Godaime in the first place.

Therefore, he had already planned to remove some of these obstacles; the civilians are easy enough, he did not even need to kill them just frighten them as if one of the enemies or better yet the Uzumaki brat was after them and if Tsunade was not going to protect them, then he would as the Rokudaime.

Of course if necessary, he would kill those that still stood in his way, it would be a necessary sacrifice for Konoha. He just had to make sure the squads did their jobs or his plans will be hindered.

"Danzo-sama." A ROOT member appeared, kneeing in front of Danzo, "Squads 8, 14 and 15 have disappeared and are suspected to be dead."

"It must be that brat. He's becoming a bigger annoyance than expected. We will have to speed up our plans or leave Konoha for the time being."

"Your orders Danzo-sama."

"Prepare a special Assassination Squad. I will be Hokage before the end of this month. Till then, keep all activities to a minimum but have the remaining squads continue with their current missions."

"Hai."

---- Kajiyamura ----

"Why are you following me?" an annoyed Naruto asked.

Sasuke was walking next to him with his hands behind his head, "Was done training with Kakashi-sensei this morning and decided to tag along with you."

"Why don't you hang with Sakura or Tenten?"

"Are you crazy? Those two are so wound up I'm afraid they'd take my head off if I go anywhere near them. How'd you sleep with them last time?"

"Got myself another room last night."

Sasuke groaned, "No wonder Sakura and Tenten looked so pissed this morning."

He and Kakashi could hardly enjoy breakfast that morning with the amount of killing intent coming off both girls who sat next to each other and across from them. They had to keep one eye on the girls at all times lest they snapped and attacked each other or worst, them.

"Sigh… Where are we going anyway?"

"Here. This is Hayashi Koichi, the finest blacksmith in Kajiyamura. By the way is my armor ready?"

"Of course it is Naruto-san." Koichi went to the back and returned with Naruto's armor, most of the dents were all gone but it still looked battle-worn.

"Thank you." Naruto handed Koichi a roll of bills and wore his armor.

"Can you help me? I'm thinking about getting a sword that I can channel chakra through and I'd prefer to use it for attack rather than defense." Sasuke asked.

"Hmmm…" Koichi stroked his chin, "I think I have what you're looking for." He went to the returned with a sword wrapped in cloth and tossed it to Sasuke. "It's my finest work."

"It's exquisite." The sword was beautiful though lacking the curve of a traditional katana; its design looked as intricate and deadly as any of its brethren. It lacked a hand-guard and the handle and sheath were similar and unassuming but its simplicity was part of its beauty.

"I can let you have it for fifty thousand ryou."

"That's more than I carry with me." Sasuke frowned then brightened up, "Hey Naruto loan me the money."

"What? Hell no! That's a small fortune."

"Come on Dobe. Spare me the cash!"

"No!" Naruto turned and walked off.

"Come on! Some friend you are!" Sasuke called out and ran after Naruto.

"You shoved a Chidori through my chest!"

"I wasn't myself!

"No!"

"I'll pay you back!"

"No!"

"I'll apologize for shoving that Chidori through your chest."

"You owe me that regardless!"

---- Konoha ----

Most of Konoha was assembled outside of the Hokage Tower as Tsunade walked onto the balcony and looked over the crowd below. Everyone was waiting in anticipation at what their Leader had to say. "Last week Iwa was attacked and was severely crippled." Hearing that, the crowd cheered while she continued, "The one who attacked and destroyed most of Iwa was the son of the Yondaime Hokage." There were harsh whispers before they broke out in louder cheers.

"Who is he?"

"Where is the hero of the Leaf?'

These were the general cries from the crowd.

"He is not here. And you all know him, after all it was this village that scorned him and ultimately drove him away." Seeing the confused looks on the crowds face, Tsunade continued, "He is none other then Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchūriki of Kyuubi no Kitsune."

There was a stunned silence before the crowd broke out in an up-roar denying what was just said or calling for Naruto's death.

"SILENCE! I hereby revoke the law instated by the Sandiame so that I may explain to the younger generation. What I am about to tell you was an S-class secret which the older generation know but under the laws of the Sandaime Hokage, none of the younger generation were to be told about it under penalty of death. The Yondaime did not kill the Kyuubi twelve years ago, no human can kill a demon so he summoned the Shinigami to help stop the Kyuubi but he had to have something he could place the Kyuubi in where it would not be able to escape. The only thing strong enough to hold the Kyuubi and keep it from breaking free is a new born child. A child is required because their chakra coils are not developed yet and so as the child grows they would slowly absorb the demons chakra making it their own and when they die, they would take the demon with them. That baby was Naruto Uzumaki, who was given his mother's name to protect him from his father's enemies."

Most of the older generation were fuming while the younger one were talking about Naruto and the way they had acted towards him, some blaming their parents.

"For as long as this Naruto has lived, most have despised him for the burden he carries and few have even given him a chance to show them otherwise and many more have tried to end his life before it had hardly even begun. The Yondaime's dying wish was for Naruto to be seen as a hero for keeping Kyuubi at bay but instead everything was done to make Naruto's life miserable. Few have acknowledged the Yondaime's last wish for his OWN SON! Do you really think he would put the burden on someone else's child? Minato was too kind hearted to ask another parent to give up their own child if he was not also willing to do it. You people praise his father for his brilliance, skill and sacrifice yet you act as if the seal he placed on Naruto was so inferior that Kyuubi would take over Naruto when you were told he said it wouldn't."

Some of the people especially the younger generation looked down in shame as they realized that they were blaming Naruto for something that was out of his control or that they never took the time to get to know him.

"I have with me the last will and testament of Minato Namikaze the Yondaime Hokage and it leaves all his worldly possessions to Naruto and his wife which include some of the most powerful jutsus created, some of which were what made him famous. I also hold the last will and testament of Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze who tragically passed away after giving birth to Naruto due to complications. Kushina was a former ANBU Captain and a member of the of the Uzumaki Clan of the former Whirlpool Country famed for having control over water element and jutsus that rivaled that of the Nidaime's. She too leaves all her worldly possessions to Naruto which include powerful jutsus known only to the Uzumaki Clan."

Most of the Civilian Council were whispering amongst themselves, mainly about how they can get their hands on the jutsu scrolls and give them to, in their opinions, more deserving Clans and more importantly keep them out of the 'Demon Brat's' hands. And maybe as a bonus, anything else that was of value.

"With the passing of both Minato and Kushina Namikaze, Naruto is the sole surviving member of both Uzumaki and Namikaze Clans. All the possessions have been sealed in the Namikaze Compound before the sealing of Kyuubi and cannot be accessed by anyone but a living member of the Clan, namely Naruto. The same boy that was chased out of this village and who single-handedly brought about destruction to Iwa, the likes of which have not being seen since the Second Shinobi War. I hope you all think long and hard about this." With that, Tsunade returned to her office leaving the crowd in a mix of shock, confusion and outrage.

Tsunade walked into her office and closed the door behind her and fell onto the couch by the door and sighed.

"You really know how to cause an up-roar don't you Tsunade-hime."

"Shut-up Pervert."

Tsunade lay down on the couch as Jiraiya walked over from the window ledge and gave her a small bottle of sake.

"Thanks."

"You know there're bound to be repercussions for what you did right?"

"To hell with it! This is the repercussions for what they did to Naruto!"

Jiraiya frowned, "Tsunade, you're the Hokage, you can't let your personal feelings get in the way of your duties."

"You think I don't know that! What about OUR duties Jiaraya! We are Naruto's godparents! And a damn fine job we've done!"

"Sigh… I know Tsunade… I know… and I'm not exactly proud of the job I've done. I was planning take him a training trip before the Uchiha incident and I tried finding him but no luck; even reverse-summoning didn't work. If I didn't know that the gaki was too stubborn to die, I would have thought he was dead."

"Don't even joke about that."

"I know but the point is, think about all the Hokages before you and everything they've sacrificed for this village including their lives."

"Yes Dan, Nawaki, Minato, Sarutobi-sensei everyone gave their lives for this village and at one time so would Naruto no matter what this village did to him but now I am not sure." Tsunade walked over to her window and looked out over the village, "I've been having a dream lately almost like a premonition." Jiraiya stood straight; it was not unusual for experienced ninjas to get premonitions once in awhile and have them come true. "I was watching the village from this very spot then just over the horizon outside the gates, a sea of black approached the gate and in front of it is a figure in a black cloak with flames at the bottom of it. When I looked closer, it was Naruto but his eyes were slit like the fox's and that sea of black was an endless horde of his creatures and with a raise of his hand, they swarmed Konoha."

"That is very disturbing."

"Yes, so it seems like no matter what I do Konoha is quite screwed."

---- - ----

Most of Naruto's friends and their families were given a separate area from the rest of the crowd where they could hear the Hokage's announcement and more importantly away from Danzo and the rest of the Council.

Hinata was not with them as she told them that she wasn't feeling well but her father suspected she was still feeling depressed either way he had Hanabi stay with her to take care of her.

Everyone was stunned at the Hokage's announcement, especially Ino and Hiashi though some of them had their suspicions like Shino, Shikamaru and his father; even Hiashi actually but he always dismissed them.

"He wa… is Minato's son…" Hiashi had a look of disbelief on his face before he bursted out laughing, shocking everyone present.

"Hiashi-sama, may I ask what is so amusing?" Neji asked.

Hiashi took a few deep calming breathes but it was clear that he wanted to start laughing again, "Neji, do you know who Hinata has a crush on?"

Kurenai tensed, she did not think that the Hyuga clan-head has ever approved of Hinata's crush on Naruto.

"I think the only one who doesn't is Naruto himself." Neji answered.

"Yes so much like his father in that aspect. Minato and I were best friends along with Fugaku Uchiha despite our differences." Hiashi explained. "Anyway to make a long story short, Fugaku and I have a marriage contract with Minato to marry either our oldest or one of our daughters to Minato's oldest son."

Hiashi waited a few seconds for the information to sink in before he started laughing again, this time joined in by Kurenai and lightly by Neji, imagining Hinata's reaction when she finds out she's engaged to Naruto.

TBC

A/N:  
I'm on a roll with Angels of the Apocalypse that's why I've been up-dating this more regularly/often, about a chapter every 2 weeks. HOWEVER, the next 3 chapters are in a bit of a stall so expect slightly longer waits after chapter 9.

To those of you who are wondering about how Naruto is acting towards Tenten, it will be explained in the next chapter, Meet the Parents. That chapter like this one will lean a little more to humor and relationship/charactor development. I hope I didn't miss anything out.

Thanks for the support.


	9. Meet the Parents

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and AVP.

A/N:

Ok, here's the slightly overdue Chapter 9 of AoP. Had to redo parts of it and I decided to bring in a few charactors earlier than originally planned.

FTFCHRIS: I have never said that the beatings and assasinations were cannon but they work. 4 words: Don't Like, Don't Read. That is if you even still are, you're an author write something if you don't like what's avaliable, that's what I did.

Primal Chaos: It depends so far in all the comics I've read, regradless of hosts they were give borth to Runners/Warriors. There was one where a bunch of Predators were infected and all the xenos were Warriors. There are other non-cannon castes like the ones you describled the Flying Queen and the Gorrila Alien amongst others that were created for a toyline. I don't intend to bring these in... yet.

TrickyDemon1991: You can read the spoilers in Chapter 6 if you really want to know though some have already happened.

EDelta88: Honesty I never really thought about but since Xenomorph is not a real world (of cos my dictionary is pretty old) I figured someone of Naruto's original IQ would not know about it. Anyway like you said Angels is kinda catchy, Angels of Death/Doom and Apocalypse. I might start getting him to refer to them as Xenos, what you think?

ChibiCraft: What don't you like other than the girls cos I'm not taking any of the original 4 out, you want to add let me know and I'll see if I can work them in. If it's how they got together let me know which part cos in terms of romantic development, this is the about as detailed as I've gotten with any of my fics, the other being my Harry Potter fic, Black Phoenix.

ranma hibiki: I added some here, not a lot of trait just some. I might add more later.

Enough with the A/N, on with the story. Hope you enjoy.

---- Konoha ----

It was bright and early and Teuchi was just opening up Ichiraku, he and Ayame had been doing well over the years even with the lost of their favorite customer but he would give up all the profits he had earned since Naruto left just to see his number one customer at his stand wolfing down bowl after bowl of ramen again. Yesterday's announcement brought a smile to the old man's face. He always had a feeling about Naruto, his father was quite the ramen addict himself and his mother had the same sunny disposition and would pull pranks on people every once in awhile though nothing on Naruto's scale.

The reactions of some of the people were priceless though there still were nah-sayers. Teuchi looked up to the sky and wondered how Naruto was doing.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Teuchi fell to the ground looking around for the source of the strange high-pitch noise.

---- Hyuga Compound ----

Neji tried to block out the sound of probably the loudest fangirl squeal ever in all of the Elemental Countries with his hands with little success. Neji looked around the room and every occupant was having the same reaction as him, with Hanabi, Kurenai and Hiashi being closest to the source of said squeal.

"I should have skipped breakfast and left the house earlier," thought Neji with a wince as he watched Hinata got up and jump around the room.

Hiashi, while internally happy at the change in his older daughter's mood, was very sure that every Hyuga will be inactive for the next couple of days due to temporary lost of hearing.

"Maybe I shouldn't have joined them for breakfast. I knew Hinata would be happy but this is a little much," Kurenai thought.

"Onee-san seems happy. I wonder if I should ask Konohamaru-kun out when he comes back from his mission," Hanabi thought, wincing at another squeal from Hinata.

"Hinata, can you please calm down?" Kurenai asked.

Surprisingly, Hinata managed to hear Kurenai through her squeal and sat back down at her seat but she was bouncing in her seat and had a million-watt smile on her face.

"I wonder how Naruto will take the news?" Neji wondered out loud and winced preparing himself for another round of squealing by Hinata, but lucky for everyone in the room, Hinata seem to be occupied by her own thoughts if the dreamy look and blush were anything to go by.

"Well, we can only hope that he's in a good mood and at least hear us out. He's certainly making good on his promise to take out the targets in his Bingo Book."

"What do you mean Hiashi-sama?" Kurenai asked.

"Ah yes you wouldn't have heard about it. Two days ago during a Council Meeting where Hokage-sama informed us about the attack on Iwa, one of Naruto's Angels killed Councilman Ikari and attacked Danzo."

"What!?"

"Yes well he actually did us a favor."

"What do you mean?"

"We've been suspicious about Ikari for quite some time but we could never get any proof but with his death, we found proof that he was stealing from the village fund; we're investigating to see if anyone else was involved but with the war and insistence of the Civilian Council and Elders, things are progressing slow."

"But still attacking a Council member…"

"Is of little consequence now. That is what the Clan-heads have decided as Ikari was corrupt but it was decided that the other targets will be protected till some kind of deal can be negotiated with Naruto though the Civilians and some of the smaller Clan-heads weren't happy about it."

"I see…"

"I have volunteered to meet with Naruto to negotiate on behalf of the Hokage and of course as Hinata's father regarding the marriage." He smiled at Hinata who noticed that everyone was looking at her and blushed. "Kurenai-san, do you know where Naruto is?"

"We've no idea where they are currently so we'll either have to wait for Kakashi and the others to return or send us a message. It's ill advised to head to the Hive without knowing if Naruto is around." Kurenai advised, to which Hiashi agreed.

---- Kajiyamura ----

Sakura stood along the shores of a lake she found in the forest and decided to take off her shinobi sandals and soak her feet in the cool water and threw a few pebbles along the surface of the lake not really paying attention to her surroundings. Her thoughts revolved around one subject at the moment, a subject with blonde hair blue eyes and whisker marks.

"**Why are you even thinking this hard? It's obvious you like Naruto-kun."** Her inner voice told her.

"He's my friend and teammat…"

"**WILL YOU STOP THAT SHIT ALREADY!?"** Sakura was taken aback by inner Sakura's yell, **"Face it, you love Naruto-kun. Not Like. Love. And I don't mean as a friend or brother, I mean full blown 100% 'I want to be the mother of your children' love and the sooner you admit it the better."**

"I… I don't know what you're talking about." Sakura walked out of the water and sat on the ground pulling her knees to her chest.

"**Yes you do. Those years he was gone were the dullest and most painful, emotionally and physically years of your life all because Naruto-kun wasn't around. You even asked if his date offers were still good."**

"It was in the spur of the moment and it's not like he answered me."

"**No it wasn't. You wanted so badly for him to say 'yes' and not only because it would show that he did not hate you but because you like him. Besides, it's not that he didn't answer you, he had to make sure the others did not get themselves killed when they found that new Birthing Chamber."**

"I wonder how he knew Hinata and Tenten were in trouble."

"**That's a good point but don't change the subject. You like Naruto-kun. Now admit it and go after your man! SHANNARO!!!**

"I… I can't"

"**Why the Hell not!?"**

"After everything that's happened… He can't lo… like me that way anymore…"

"**Then make it up to him. He spent all that time chasing after you, trying to get your attention only to be shot down every time, I think it's only fitting that you at least put in the same amount of effort."**

"What about Tenten?"

"**The way I see it even though she's earned the right be part of his Clan, they're not together till Naruto-kun says otherwise. Besides, what's wrong with a little three's company action?"**

"WHAT!?" Sakura could feel the perverted grin of her inner psyche.

"**You heard me but that's not important. What's important is that you admit that you like Naruto-kun."**

"I…"

"**Yes…" **

"I like…"

"**Go on."**

"I like Nar…"

"**OUT WITH IT!"**

"I LIKE NARUTO-KUN!!"

"**HELL YEAH!!!"**

Sakura got to her feet and wore back her sandals before heading back to the inn as quickly as she could and entered the room hoping to see Naruto but the smile on her face turned into a frown as soon as she entered and saw that not only was Naruto not inside but Tenten was.

"Is Naruto-kun here?"

"Nope."

"Look Tenten, about yesterday. I just want to say that I…"

But before Sakura could finish, Naruto walked through the door and before either girl could jump him, he held up his hands signaling for them to stop which they did.

"Before you two jump me, you should know I'm just a messager-clone. The real Naruto is five kilometers Northeast of where we are in the forest and he wants to talk to Tenten… Alone." He emphasized the last part and looked at Sakura before dispelling itself.

"I better get going." Tenten said as she headed for the door and left.

Sakura leaned on the wall and slid to the floor. "I knew it he hates me…"

"**Sigh… Here we go again…"**

Tenten jumped through the trees as fast as she could, she really wanted to talk to Naruto and find out why he's been acting the way he's been for the last two weeks, when before he decided to attack Iwa, the two of them had grown so close. She stopped after traveling about five kilometers and started to search the area hoping to find Naruto.

"Up here." Tenten looked up to see Naruto standing on a thick brunch of a tree and motioned for her to join him which she did. "I suppose you want to know why I've been acting the way I've been since we left the Hive."

"Well duh." Tenten crossed her arms and waited for him to explain.

"You've earned a place in my clan and should Konoha ever fall or if you decide to leave, you will always have a place with me but I will not force you to choose, that is why I have not told you everything or given you access to more weapons other than the Smart Disc."

"Is that why you'd been distancing yourself because you know that I will have to head back to Konoha eventually?"

"Yes. I've never really had a family unless you count the rag-tag assortment of odd-balls of a family like the Sandaime, Tsunade-obaachan, Ero-senin and Iruka-sensei amongst others, so I know the value of family and I'm not going to make you choose between them and me."

"Thank you for that Naruto-kun but you could always come to…"

"No." Naruto's voice left no room for arguments. "I will not return to Konoha especially the way it is."

"I understand." Tenten tried not to sound too disappointed but failed.

"I will probably start removing a few of the more negative elements in Konoha soon but I doubt I will ever be welcomed back… I don't know if I want to go back."

"You can't run away forever Naruto-kun." Tenten walked up and hugged him.

"I know but I will let Konoha deal with its own problems for now."

"I understand but Naruto I… I want you to know that I really do like you."

"I know, you told me that before." He turned and smiled at her before becoming serious. "I like you too Tenten and I care about you but until this whole mess with Konoha is over, I don't think it will be a good idea for us to get closer than we already are. I was heartbroken once, it's not a good feeling to say the least and who knows what your parents will say about us?"

"Then why don't you meet them?" Tenten smiled brightly.

"What?"

"Why don't you meet my parents? Come back with us to Konoha then wait outside the village, I'll talk to my parents then I'll bring them to meet you."

"I don't know if that's…"

"PLEEEEASE…" Tenten gave him the infamous jutsu knew to mankind, the puppy-dog pout and big sad eyes combo.

"I hate that move… Fine."

"Oh. Thank you. Thank you." She hugged him tightly. "I told Kiba you weren't a cold-hearted bastard."

"I should kick dog-boy's butt."

"Naruto-kun. Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

"Funny, smart guy. It's about Sakura, do you still love her?" Tenten asked almost afraid of the answer.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I know that what I felt last time was just a crush and that I do care for her, as stupid as it sounds, after everything that's happened."

Tenten shook her head, "No it's not. You're very caring person Naruto, you always have been and I'm glad that even after everything that you been through and done, I'm glad that you still have the qualities that I admire and like about you."

"Thanks Ten-chan."

"You're welcome." Tenten leaned in and kissed Naruto, who did not object.

---- - ----

The Konoha nin had gathered outside the village waiting for Naruto as he said he had to got speak to someone so Sasuke asked him to help him pick up his new sword while he was at it, to which Naruto flipped him off for but agreed to pick it up anyway.

"Hey Dobe, did you help me pick up my order?"

"Here, Teme." Naruto threw Sasuke the sword he wanted along with the additional design of the three tomoes of a matured Sharingan in a ring of fire where the blade met the handle.

"Thanks for the gift, Dobe." Sasuke strapped his new sword to his back and ran off.

"GIFT!? Screw you Teme!? You're paying me back every last cent, if not I'm taking it out on your ass!"

The girls sighed and shook their heads, "Idiots…"

The group traveled hard to reach Konoha before nightfall but stopped several kilometers away from the gates.

"This is as far as I go." Naruto announced and unsealed his mask and attached it to his face, "I will wait here for your return but should anything happen and I'm not here, I will return to the Hive."

Everyone nodded while Kakashi and Sasuke disappeared first, Tenten stepped forward and kissed Naruto's masked cheek and glared at Sakura before shunshining away leaving the two former teammates alone.

"Naruto-kun I…" Sakura had never felt this nervous before even when she was chasing after Sasuke. It did not help that Naruto was wearing his mask hiding all his features and more importantly, his expression which might give her a clue as to what he was thinking. She started to rub her upper-arm nervously. "Naruto-kun I… I want… I want to tell you that… that… Take care of yourself." With that, she quickly ran off.

"I can't tell him…" Sakura felt like she was going to cry.

"**I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU BLEW IT! YOU HAD HIS UNDIVIDED ATTENTION!"**

"I know…"

"**Sigh… This is going to take some work."**

Naruto sat down and leaned against a tree deciding to take a short nap while he waited but after a few minutes, he felt three new presences.

"Why don't you come out? I know you're there."

Naruto opened his eyes and saw that they were still hiding so he activated his thermo-vision and found where they were and unsealed his plasma-caster with external pack and fired three quick bursts at them, forcing them to jump out of their hiding place in front of Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki, by order of Danzo-sama, you are to be executed on sight for the good of Konoha." The Leader of the group spoke.

"I believe you know that it's Namikaze now."

"That does not matter."

"You know what? You're right." Just as Naruto said that, three Drones pounced on the ROOT ANBU and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Hmmm… It seems they know I'm here. I guess I better leave." With that, he shadow shunshined away.

---- Konoha ----

Tenten ran across the roof of building as quickly as she could till she reached the outskirts of the business district to her home and place of family business, 'The Tamura Weapons & Blacksmith Store'.

"Mum! Dad! I'm home!" Tenten called out as she entered the backdoor.

Satoshi Tamura was a tanned muscular man walked out of the storeroom and into the kitchen and smiled when he found his daughter had returned safely from her mission.

"Welcome home sweetheart." Satoshi hugged Tenten and called for his wife. "Yukari! Tenten's home!"

Her mom, who was the spitting image of Tenten but had lighter brown hair which was tied in a ponytail, ran into the kitchen and hugged her daughter.

"Welcome home dear. How was your trip?"

"It went well…" Tenten was not sure how her parents would react if they knew the full details of her mission. "And I met the greatest guy ever and I think I'm in love. Tenten sighed dreamily.

Satoshi groaned loudly while Yukari looked like she won the lottery.

"He's kind, strong, loyal, determined and he has the most amazing weapons I have ever seen." Tenten sighed dreamily.

"Sigh… Of course he has…"

Yukari Tamura just giggled at her husband's slummed shoulders, she was all too aware of the tendency for female members of the Tamura Clan to be attracted to males with unique weapons and/or impressive skills with weapons much like her sister-in-law. Satoshi had always hoped that Tenten would not go the way of his mother and sister who, although found good caring and hardworking men, the first thing that came to either women's minds when asked what they like most about their man was their weapons, not that the men had minded.

"Who is he dear?'

"It's Naruto." Her parents blinked.

"I'm sorry sweetheart." Her dad tried to clear his ear with his pinky, "But I thought you said Naruto as in Naruto Namikaze."

"No." Tenten looked confused, "I mean Naruto Uzumaki."

"We know dear. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the Jinchūriki of Kyuubi no Kitsune and son of the Yondaime Hokage. The man that recently attacked Iwa."

"Oh." With that Tenten fainted.

"Well, that's a surprising reaction."

"Ah huh."

---- Hokage Tower, Hokage's Office ----

"Welcome back you three."

"Thank you Hokage-sama."

"Hn."

"Thank you Shisho. How have things been in the village?"

"Troublesome. I have revealed Naruto's heritage to the village and the results are mixed at best."

"You didn't." Kakashi's eye widened as he moved to take a seat on the couch.

"I did Kakashi, I revoked the Sandaime's law and revealed everything about Naruto, from the truth that he has the Kyuubi sealed in him to who his parents were."

"Who were they, Shisho?" Sakura and Sasuke leaned forward slightly.

"His mother was Kushina Uzumaki who passed away after giving birth to Naruto due to complications. Kushina was a former ANBU Captain and the last surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan of the former Whirlpool Country and his father was…"

"My sensei." Kakashi interrupted Tsunade and his students turned to look at him, "Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage." He smiled at the shocked looks on his students' faces, "He was given his mother's family name to protect him from his father's enemies like Iwa who feared and despised him."

Sasuke smirked, "Iwa's going to be cursing up a storm when they hear that the guy that thrashed their village is the son of their most hated enemy."

"Kakashi-sensei, is this why you said it was his right to finish the Rasengan?"

"Yes it is and before you ask Sakura, somehow Naruto knows who his parents are, he wouldn't tell me how but he knows."

"Sigh… What a headache." Tsunade rubbed her tempers before continuing, "After we received your video, Asuma brought up the possibility that Naruto has some kind of spy network and it just seems more and more likely everyday."

Tsunade filled them in on the developments that had taken place since she received the video, to the reaction of the Council and the populace to the truth about Naruto and his parents and how some council members even demanded that she revoked Naruto's birth-right and let members of the council claim what was in the Namikaze compound and accounts. Needless to say, Ibiki and Anko have been busy the last couple of days. Unfortunately, the news has also caused a rift in the Council and the village and possibly even the shinobi forces, those for and against Naruto.

"Hiashi Hyuga will be going to meet Naruto to try and set-up an alliance or a truce with Naruto…"

"Why a truce?"

Tsunade explained to them what happened during the council meeting and they were stunned that Naruto would order the assassination of a council member even if he was corrupt and a determent to the village.

"Well I guess it's a good thing then, I don't want to even think that Naruto broke his promise about attacking Konoha." Kakashi wiped his brow of the non-existent sweat.

"Shisho, if you want to talk to Naruto, he's waiting for Tenten and her parents several kilometers outside the village."

"WHAT!?" Tsunade jumped up. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER?! LET'S GO!"

---- Tamura Residence ----

"Oooh. What happened?"

"Well you fainted dear."

"Oh mum. I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt that you and dad told me that Naruto was the son of the Yondaime. Hahaha…"

Tenten stopped laughing when she noticed that neither of her parents were laughing. They explained what the Hokage had revealed while she was away; the more they brought her up to speed, the more her jaw reached for the floor.

"Whoa."

"Yes, quite an impressive young man you've fallen for dear."

"Sigh… If only he wasn't a missing-nin…"

"DAD!!!"

"What?"

"You know very well Naruto-kun was never listed as a missing-nin thanks to Tsunade-sama."

"I guess that's true…"

"So dear, tell us all about this young man you're so taken by." Tenten's mom leaned forward with a very happy look on her face which only grew as Tenten briefly told them about a stay at the Hive and Naruto.

"Oh No! How long was I out?"

"Not long sweetheart about ten minutes."

"Come on!" She grabbed her parents' hands and pulled them towards the door. "I hope Naruto-kun is still waiting."

---- - ----

Tsunade, Team Kakashi, Tenten and her parents appeared at the spot where Naruto was suppose to be but could find no sign of the young Hunter. Tenten and her parents bowed and greeted the Hokage.

"Damn, we must have just missed the brat but I thought you said he would be waiting."

"Hmm… Something must have happened. He did say that if there were any problems, he would head back to the Hive but just to be sure… Summoning Jutsu!"

"Yo." Pakkun greeted.

"Pakkun, can you see if Naruto is still in the area or what happened?"

After sniffing around for a few moments, Pakkun turned to the group, "Naruto's long gone, from what I can tell Naruto had 'company' but there did not seem to be a struggle. His summons must have jumped them before they knew what hit them."

"Tsk. Must have been villagers or most likely ROOT. I better inform Hiashi and put together a Team or two to go with him."

"I volunteer!" Both Sakura and Tenten yelled before glaring at each other.

Tsunade sighed hoping the two girls won't kill each other, "I'll think about it but we must move fast and the four of you have just returned so it would be wise if you were to get some rest first and let someone else escort Hiashi to meet Naruto."

"I'm fine!" Sakura and Tenten yelled before glaring at each other again.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama." Kakashi placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders to try and hold her back just in case she tried to attack Tenten, "Naruto is not as trusting or open as before and while he's been quite forward with information, I think that it would be best if you sent people he's more or less comfortable with."

"You mean like you and your team." Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the copy-nin.

"I can go too. I'm part of his clan."

"NO YOU'RE NOT!!!" Sakura tried to confront Tenten but was held back by a straining Kakashi who looked to Sasuke for help but only got a 'You're on your own' look for a reply.

"Who says, Pinky!?"

"You're still part of the Tamura Clan. You can't be part of Naruto's clan unless you give up your place in your family clan or marry him!"

"Then maybe I will marry him!"

"WHAT!?"

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade yelled and started to rub her temples, "You're both giving me a headache."

"Gomen."

"Return to your homes. I will summon you if you are needed. Now go and rest or you will be useless in this mission."

---- Hive ----

Naruto sat on his bed and took a swing from the bottle he was holding, he had just finished his shower after a long hard workout and decided to just lay on his bed with just a pair of loose fitting pants. He still had to train with Kyuubi that evening; the damn fox wasn't happy about his performance with his one-on-one fight with the Jounin and truthfully, neither was he.

He read up on Iwa's Wolverine and to date, he was probably the strongest opponent he had ever face in a one-on-one fight; based on his records, Kenji Mikado was almost on par with Kakashi but he made a mistake in underestimating Naruto, a mistake that he doubted anyone would make anymore so it was decided that his training will be upped so that he can face an opponent of such caliber without help and come out victorious.

"I wonder if I should build an indoor onsen or maybe just a hot-tub?" He asked himself trying to get his mind off of training before closing his eyes. "Looks like I have guests."

---- - ----

The group from Konoha were currently making their way though a patch of dense forest toward the entrance some of them had used before. In the group were Hiashi Hyuga who was to negotiate on behalf of the Hokage and also as Hinata's father, another parent who was tagging along was Yukari Tamura since her husband had many orders to finish she told Satoshi that she would meet with Naruto, it took a little convincing to get her husband and the Hokage to agree to allow her to accompany the group; being a former Kunoichi made it easier to convince them.

The rest of the group were Kakashi and Sasuke who would have rather gotten another day or two to rest at home before setting off though Sasuke was sure the only reason Team Kakashi was on this mission was because Kakashi wanted to help Sakura with Naruto, not that he minded. Tenten was also with them much to Sakura's displeasure as well as Hinata, Neji and Kurenai.

They reached the rock formation that marked the concealed entrance they planned to use, they did not try to conceal themselves so they were very sure that Naruto knew that were coming but they also made sure that they were not followed.

Kakashi tried to open the hatch but found that the hatch was gone. "This entrance has been sealed; we'll need to find another entrance."

"Leave that to me. Summoning Jutsu!" Tenten slammed her palm in front of her and a Runner appeared out of the smoke, "Can you take us to Naruto-kun?"

The Runner nodded and ran off past the group with said group following close behind till it stopped near a large tree and started to scratch the base of the tree. Neji inspected the tree and found a well hidden switch which caused the ground near by to open up enough for one maybe two people to go in at a time.

The Runner ran in followed closely by Tenten and Sakura, the rest of the group soon followed and at the end of the tunnel, they found themselves on the centre circular hall that led to most of important rooms in the Hive. While Hiashi and Yukari took in the design of the hall, the others moved towards the Throne room.

They walked in just as Naruto walked out of his private quarters, dressed in black pants and boots and shin-guards but instead of the thick heavy torso armor and cloak he had on a noticeably thin torso armor which was matt grey and obviously new with a black shirt under it. Over that, he wore a black long-sleeve trench-coat with orange flames at the base but it was the forehead protector that caught everyone's attention, it bore his Predator symbol.

"Welcome back I guess."

"Thanks for the hospitality, Naruto." Kakashi smiled.

"You're getting awfully comfortable, aren't you?"

Kakashi smiled and placed his hands in his pockets, "We're not here to fight or cause any harm and I trust you enough not to hurt us as long as we don't make the first move, besides we're here on a diplomatic mission, not to fight."

Hiashi stepped forward and bowed to Naruto who returned the gesture, "Namikaze-san, I am Hiashi Hyuga, Clan-head for the Hyugas and am here on behalf of the Hokage to hopefully reach an understanding of sorts."

"Please call me Naruto and I have yet to claim my father's name. You're Hinata's father, aren't you?"

"Yes I am and I am here as Hinata's father as well concerning an agreement reached between your father and myself before the both of you were born."

"And what agreement would that be?"

"It is a marriage contract between your father, myself and Fugaku Uchiha." This caught Sasuke's attention, "Fugaku and I have a marriage contract with Minato to marry either our oldest or one of our daughters to his oldest son, namely you."

"WHAT!?!" screamed Tenten, Sakura and Sasuke, this was the first they'd had about this. They had met some for their friends while they were back in Konoha and NO ONE said anything about a marriage contract between the Namikaze with the Uchiha and the Hyuga.

Kurenai had to place her hands on Hinata's shoulders to steady her and prevent her from fainting; at least she wasn't going to squeal again… she hoped. For his part, Naruto while still standing, was wide-eyed at the news.

"**This is an interesting development."**

Hiashi reached into his sleeve and pulled out a scroll and handed it to Naruto who accepted it with a nod and proceeded to read it.

"I know this must be a shock to you. Believe me, it was a shock to me too when I found out you were Minato's son. Are you okay with this?"

"Well I guess that depends on Hinata, I don't know how she feels but I doubt she'd want to be forced into a marriage with me out of the blue."

Everyone sweat-dropped.

"How can someone so powerful and tactically sound be so dense?" Neji thought.

"Definitely his father's son… Kushina practically had to drag Minato out on their first date."

Hinata blushed and pushed her forefingers together. "I… erm… wouldn't… I…" She mumbled to herself.

"This is the same man that destroyed Iwa?" Kurenai thought as she glanced at the bashful Hinata.

"Sigh… Just like Sensei…"

"Dobe…"

"I can't believe how dense Naruto-kun is. He hasn't changed at all." Sakura's eyebrow twitched.

"**But that makes him all the more endearing. SHANNARO!"** Inner Sakura screamed which caused Sakura blushed.

Kyuubi face-palmed (pawed), **"The Kit is still denser than concrete…"**

"Actually, the contract is not binding and can be broken; if either of you decide not to go through with the marriage, the contract is void." Tenten looked happy and Sakura was torn behind happy and up-set while Hinata looked heartbroken. "But I ask that you do not outright reject this contract and get to know Hinata a little first before the both of you make your decisions."

Naruto thought for a moment before nodding, "Alright I'll give it a chance if Hinata is willing." To which Hinata, not trusting her voice, shyly nodded with Tenten and Sakura looking upset.

"Very well but I will tell you and everyone present that I intend to build my Clan by allowing selected people to take the Hunters' Trial, this will ensure that the foundation of my Clan will be strong. Without taking the Trial, no one will be allowed to know my secrets and only those who pass the Trial will be allowed to summon my Angels."

"Why is that, Naruto-kun?"

"The Angels will not accept being controlled just by anyone so as a precaution, anyone who signs the contract without passing the trial will be killed by the Angels, few have ever been able to control the Angels and they will only accept certain people to control them."

"So every member of your Clan will have to take the trial?"

"Well maybe not in the future but for now, yes."

"Namikaze-san." Naruto turned to Yukari who bowed to him which he returned, "I am Yukari Tamura, Tenten's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine."

"I'm here for a more personal matter; I'm hoping to learn more about the man my daughter is so taken by."

"Well I hope not to disappoint. You all must be hungry after your journey. I'll have some of my clones prepare us a meal."

Hiashi and Yukari sat on either side of Naruto, who sat at the head of the table. It came as a surprise to the two adults at how pleasant the meal was. Hiashi and Naruto were able to lay out some aspects of what Konoha hopes to gain and are willing to offer while Yukari was about to get to know Naruto better. Both though still found it hard to believe that the young man before them was the one responsible for bring about death and destruction to Iwa the likes of which had not been seen in decades, they had expected him to be cold and ruthless. To Hiashi, who had years of experience in politics, it was like he was talking to a seasoned negotiator, something he did not expect and Yukari found him surprisingly pleasant and funny.

"If you will excuse me, I have some work to do, you may use back the same room you had last time. Hiashi-san, I will see you tomorrow to start formal discussions." With that, Naruto bowed to Hiashi and Yukari who returned the gesture and walked off.

---- Konoha Room ----

After placing their belonging in their rooms, most of the Konoha nin left to train while the Hyugas and Kurenai remained in the hall to discuss about Hinata and Naruto's future.

"Then I guess you can take this trial if you choose…" Hiashi stroked his chin.

Hinata smiled and was about to say something but was interrupted by Neji, "I'm sorry to interrupt Hiashi-sama but I don't think that's advisable."

Hiashi frowned, "Why is that Neji?"

"Please do not take this the wrong way Hiashi-sama but a Hyuga is the worst possible choice to go against one of Naruto's Angels." Normally Hiashi would be insulted but he kept his temper in check and motioned for Neji to continue, "All Hyugas relay on their Byakugan and Gentle Fist Style to defeat their opponents but Naruto's Angels have the ability to be hidden in plain sight which even the Byakugan cannot see them, making it impossible for any Hyuga to target their internal organs and tenketsus."

"Hmm… I see. What do you suggest then Neji?"

"It would be best that Hinata-sama receives some 'non-traditional' training to improve her chances in the trial. Taijutsu is ill advised against these creatures, weapons; fire ninjutsus and other mid to long range attacks are most advisable."

"Yes… Naruto-san is a truly dangerous man."

"Yes but he is a dangerous man that we would like on our side."

"True but no Hyuga has even trained outside of the Jūken style and the Hyuga Elders won't be pleased if she starts."

"It would be necessary if she is to pass the Trial."

"What about you Kurenai-san, what do you think?"

"Honestly, I'm against anyone taking the Trial; I was a nervous wreak when Tenten took it, I don't know if I can stand Hinata taking it… but if she's set on taking it, I agree that having her fight with something other than the Gentle Fist style is the best course of action."

"Then can you train her?"

Kurenai shook her head, "I can give her the basics of Ninjutsu but as you all know my strength is Genjutsu and those things seem to be immune to Genjutsu. I think while I start Hinata on the basics, a more suitable Instructor should be found."

"Agreed."

---- - ----

"Very well, I will accept your terms on the following conditions: One, I am given full accept to the Namikaze compound for twenty-four hours and no one is allowed to enter without my express permission, trespassers will be executed. Two, if anyone in my Bingo Book tries anything against me or those important to me, it's open season on their heads. Three, if any of Konoha's ninja or regular Black Ops try anything against me, they will be executed by me or it will be open season on all of Konoha."

After breakfast, Hiashi, Kakashi, Neji and Naruto remained in the dining room to begin formal discussion on the agreement. It took awhile but they managed to agree to a truce, without having to offer up the targets in Naruto's Bingo Book to him in exchange for other incentives.

"Surely you don't believe that the Hokage would do anything against you?"

"I trust Tsunade with my life. It is the Council members and the shinobi in my Bingo Book I do not trust, they are in my book for a reason."

"I'm sure Tsunade-sama will agree to those terms and we can arrange to sneak you i…"

"No."

"What?"

"I will enter the village at high noon through the main gate." Naruto gave an evil grin that sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Ma… ma… Naruto don't you think that's a bash."

"Exactly."

"Well I guess I can agree to that."

"That's good, though I doubt the Civilian Council will be happy, also I want to claim my dad's name and all my families' assets."

"Very well." Hiashi got up and bowed, "I will prepare the agreement and send them to Tsunade-sama to have them signed."

Naruto got up and bowed before walking off to his room.

"It's a dangerous game your former student is playing." Hiashi told Kakashi in as low a voice as he could when the Copy-nin walked up beside him.

"War is a dangerous thing and Naruto has become a very dangerous man."

---- Suna ----

Sabaku no Gaara stood on top of the Kazekage Tower and looked across the village he grow up in, hated, fear and scorned. The village that he now led and protected as their Kazekage, never in his life did he think he would be the Kazekage and protect the Village Hidden in the Sand and its inhabitants till the day he met Naruto Uzumaki. They were so similar but they took different paths and became the total opposites of each other but in the end, Naruto was stronger and saved him from his darkness.

And now years after meeting Uzumaki, he stood as the Kazekage, a symbol of strength for his village and country, feared by their enemies and respected even loved by his village all thanks to his first friend. Remembering Naruto and what happened to him caused Gaara to clench his fists, when he first heard what happened, his first thought was to find his friend but when that was unsuccessful, his next thought was to introduce everyone responsible to his Sand Burial.

It took his brother, sister, Gai, Kakashi and Lee to stop him from attacking and killing those damn Council Members when they declared that nothing would be done to those responsible, leaving them unpunished and that if Naruto did not return by sunset that same day, Naruto would be marked as a Missing-nin.

Tsunade put a stop to that quickly, while she could not punish those responsible at the time, she was able to list Naruto as MIA (Missing In Action) instead of being declared a Missing-nin thereby sparing him from being pursued by Hunter-nin, officially. The Sand Siblings left the Council Chambers as quickly as they could, though not before Kankuro and Temari gave them a few choice words.

The war against Oto and its alliances have been at a stalemate for quite sometime, that was at least until he received word from Tsunade that Iwa had been decimated by one man calling himself a Hunter. He had immediately sent several Teams to try and secure Iwa or at least survey the damage sustained by the village; unfortunately, the Tsuchikage decided to return from his earlier withdrawal and along with some returning forces were about to push the small combined forces of Konoha and Suna back.

Though they were not able to secure Iwa, there was a sliver lining, because of the attack and subsequence destruction, Iwa was forced to recall most of their forces from occupied territory and even their outer defensive lines, leaving just a skeleton crew or their allies to man some outposts or even just abandon them.

"Gaara."

Gaara turned to see his brother and sister approaching him with a scroll in Temari's hands, "A message from the Hokage, for your eyes only."

"Why would she send another message, didn't she just send one like two days ago?"

"It could be important, you idiot."

While his siblings argued, Gaara turned his back to them and started to read the scroll and as he read, his eyes grew wider till a smile crossed his face followed by a small chuckle which slowly grew into full blown laugher which shocked the other Sand siblings and even scared them a little, after all as open and approachable as Gaara had become, he had never laughed as loudly and openly as he was now.

"Gaara?"

"Read this." He tossed the scroll to them which Kankuro caught and started to read with Temari reading over his shoulder.

"No freaking way…"

"Gaara, they can't be serious, can they?" Temari could not believe what she had just read though a part of her was happy to have some good news about the man that saved her younger brother.

"Yes." Gaara smiled, "It seems Uzu… I mean Namikaze truly is the most surprising and unpredictable ninja ever."

---- Hive ----

Hiashi walked alone through the corridors towards Naruto's Throne Room, he felt a little unnerved that those creatures could be all around him and there was little he could do to defend himself if they chose to attack but according to the others, as long as they were not hostile to Naruto, posed a threat or try to enter any of the locked rooms or the Birthing Chambers, they were fine and the Angels would not attack them without Naruto's orders.

Though they did advise that they do not walk around the Hive alone, Hiashi told them that he had to speak with Naruto alone, which is why he was heading for the Throne room, having been told that Naruto did most of his work their and that the entrance to his personal quarters was also there.

---- - ----

Naruto walked through the forest dressed in what he called his light battle gear which consisted of his gauntlets, light torso armor without the shoulder armor and plasma-caster, his kunai/shuriken porch on his right thigh, no mask or cloak.

He kept walking till he reached a small clearing surrounded by trees and at the end of it was a large cave with its mouth decorated with the same bone-like designs of the xenos hiding in plain sight and the kanji for nine at the top of the arch. It was Kyuubi's cave. What was once a sewer was now whatever he willed it to be, it took some practice but Naruto was now the master of his mindscape and used it to create terrain and surrounds to make Kyuubi's stay more comfortable and for him to use in his training.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu." A single clone appeared between Naruto and the mouth of the cave.

Neither moved as a tendril of red chakra flowed from the cave and connected to the back of the clone, flowing into it. The chakra cloak that formed around it started to take the shape of a one-tailed fox causing the clone to take on more animalistic features like lengthened nails and canines as well as slit pupils and thickened whisker marks.

"**Begin!"**

The clone disappeared and reappeared in front of Naruto throwing a kick to his head which he brought his arms up to block but still forced the ground beneath his feet to crack. Naruto disappeared and tried to catch his opponent with an axe kick to the back of the head but ended up destroying the ground where it used to stand.

The demonic clone tried to claw Naruto who managed to dodge double claw swipes and countered by shooting fireballs from his mouth. Instead of dodging, the Demon-Naruto gathered a ball of concentrated chakra in front of his mouth and shot a beam towards Naruto, destroying all the fireballs as it shot towards its intended victim.

"Dark Style: Shadow Wall!"

The beam hit the wall which head for a few seconds before shattering and dispersing the beam. Demon-Naruto rushed and threw a claw swipe at Naruto's head which he ducked and tried to drive a Rasengan into the clone's stomach but was blocked by its chakra tail and followed through by using it to stab Naruto through the stomach which caused him to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Dark Style: Shadow Hands Jutsu!"

The demon turned towards the tree that Naruto jumped out of as he shot five black tentacles at the clone that jumped out of the way. The tentacles drove themselves into the ground, traveled through it and shot out again trying to skewer their target before Naruto canceled the jutsu and performed another.

"FIRE STYLE: PHOENIX MISSILE JUTSU!" Naruto shot dozens of fireballs from his mouth which quickly took the shape of Phoenixes and headed straight for their target.

The Demon-Naruto dodged the missiles as best as it could but the strength of this jutsu was that the missiles can seek out individual targets making it an effective and efficient offensive jutsu to take out multiple targets or in this case, make it harder for a target to avoid the missiles which will seek out the target.

Demon-Naruto managed to dodge a few of the missiles but they just turned around, avoiding the ground and any other obstacles which they did not intend to hit and tried to hit their intended target but with a swing of its tail and claw swipes which extended from the fox-cloak, it managed to destroy all of the missiles without causing any damage to the cloak. The demonic Naruto searched the area but found not sign of the real Naruto.

"Earth Style: Inner Decapitation Jutsu!" The demonic clone jumped up just as a pair of arms shot out of the ground but just as it reached the peak of its jump, Naruto appeared behind it and wrapped it in a pair of dark tentacles, trapping it.

"Gotcha! OMOTE RENGE!!!" Naruto piledrived the demon clone into the ground with earth-shattering force and burst into a cloud of smoke. The clone, being worst for wear, struggled to get to its feet.

"TORNADO RASENGAN!!!" Naruto dropped from above a red Rasengan with several streams of red chakra spiraling around the sphere and drove it into the back of the clone causing a large blinding explosion.

Naruto stood over the unconscious demonic clone as its chakra cloak and demonic features disappeared before dispelling.

"**Good Kit. You're getting better."**

Naruto turned to the mouth of a cave and out walked Kyuubi in all its glory but with a collar around its neck with the kanji for 'Seal' on it.

"**You're now able to plan two or three steps ahead in a fight which is good but you need to get better****; though I doubt you will ever be as good at thinking ahead as that pineapple head boy you know."**

"Tsk. That's an understatement, Shikamaru, like that rest of the Nara Clan, is a genius; even with all the battle experience I've gotten, I doubt I can match his analytical and strategical abilities."

"**True but there are other factors to victory. Anyway****, time for you to learn a few new jutsus, I was planning to teach them to you last year but thought you should work on other things first."**

"Really? What are they?"

"**As enthusiastic as ever aren't you Kit? Since clones are kind of your specialty, I decided to teach you ****Bunshin Daibakuha, Bunshin Kamaitachi and ****Doku Bunshin."**

"CLONES?"

"**Listen Kit, these clones are different from your usual Shadow clones and can come in handy in differ... I think you have a visitor."**

Naruto opened his eyes to see Hiashi standing before him.

"I have a proposal for you."

"I'm listening."

---- - ----

Naruto stood at the top of a fast moving waterfall, looking over the edge as hundreds of his clones were climbing up the face of the rushing water; every time one would reach the top, it would jump back down and try again. To make the exercise more challenging, the real Naruto would randomly throw projectiles, jutsu or plasma shots at the advancing clones forcing them to evade or be dispelled.

After pulling another clone in-charge of evasion training of the clones climbing up the waterfall, the real Naruto walked off to a clearing and started practicing the Bunshin Daibakuha that Kyuubi taught him after his meeting with the Hyuga clan-head the day before. It took him a few tries but just as he got it down, he felt a presence appear behind him in the distance, heading towards him.

"Well hello Naruto."

Naruto turned to face the person who called him, "Ero-sennin."

TBC

A/N:

The Plasma-caster (Pistol) is based on the AVP:R **game** for the PSP, it's rapid fire but has lower power.

_Bunshin Kamaitachi (Wind Scythe Clone)_ (not sure if I got the order of the words right) is based on a fic called 'Master of Puppets, Demolition Chief' by Dirty Reid though I don't remember it being named. _Doku Bushin_ fr 'Puppet Master Naruto' but it's been abandoned by the original author. For the _Phoenix Missile_, I've never read it or anything similar before so if there is its coincidence.

I'm a little stuck on the next chapter though with the slight changes I made it might not be so bad but expect a longer wait for the next chapter maybe 3-4 weeks instead of the usual 2.

I got an idea for a new fic called **'Of Snakes and Toads'** thought about it after reading a few Naruto is a snake summoner and Orochimaru is Naruto's father/godfather fic. Basically, it's an idea where Naruto can summon both Snakes and Toads and is trained in their arts.

How this would work/go:

1. With permission from the Summons Boss a Summoner may sign up to two contracts.

2. _Either_ Orochimaru will remain in the Leaf and Manda and Gamabunta aren't out to kill each other _or_ the Snakes want to remove Manda from command. Leaning towards the former myself since the latter was used in another fic.

3. This will be a complete re-write from the point of Kyuubi's sealing so any changes can be explained/worked in/revealed, like the above.

4. Naruto would most likely be taken out of Konoha to be raised/trained by one or all of the Sannin.

5. Either Orochimaru or Jiaraya will be Naruto's Godfather and Tsunade his Godmother.

That's all I got some far, what do you guys think? Of cos I won't be writing this so soon if I do start a new fic, it will probably be an adopted fic if the author lets me. There are 2 fics I'm eyeing that have been idle for months – years. They're harem fics though, no idea why but I really like NarutoxHarem fics more than any other title.


	10. Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or AvP.

A/N:  
LoPe21: The Praetorians will not make another appearance for another 2 chapters. That's a cute picture you painted... Know anybody who can draw something like that?

ChibiCraft: I can't please everybody, personally I think there aren't enough harem fics with my personally favorite girls and I think that Hinata and Sakura are the 2 most logical girls that Naruto will end up with if any unless another girl(s) make an appearance. Right now it's still the first half of my story, what I would call the 'Dealing with Konoha' arc, so it is pretty much cleaning up the mess that is Naruto's life.

Hektols: I might do that, thinking about having Hinata as a water type, might put it to a vote later. So for the fic idea if I were to give him slugs as well I'd need a new title, got any suggestions? Also I think Pein is an exception rather than the rule because of hi Rinngan and that that body was 'Animal Path' and can use multiple summon creatures.

---- - ----

"Ero-sennin."

"Is that anyway to greet your elders?"

"Just calling it as I see it."

"Anyway Naruto it's been a while. How'd you been?"

"Can't complain I guess. What do you want ero-sennin?"

"I'm here to introduce you to two important people and to see how far you've come." Jiraiya bit his thumb and ran through the seals, "Summoning Jutsu."

When the smoke cleared, two small toads were standing in front of Naruto, one was a green old toad wearing a black cape. The other toad was female and she seems to be the same age as the old toad, she had her hair tied by lots of hair designs and she was also wearing a black cape.

"Naruto I want you to meet Fukasaku and his wife Shima. You can call them Ma and Pa."

Naruto just stared at the two while his right hand reached for his mask.

"Well it's been a while little Jiraiya, how are you doing?"

"Good I finally managed to track down the gaki."

"And who is this?" asked Shima.

"This is Naruto, he's my student and I'm planning on teaching him everything I know."

Fukasaku gasped softly after getting a good look at Naruto's face, "Little Jiraiya is he….."

"Yes it's him."

Fukasaku nodded, "I see so he is Minato's son, the resemblance is astonishing."

"If you're thinking that I look like my father, I get that a lot."

"I see you found out about your parents. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before; it was…"

"For my protection. I get it. I've known for quite some time now even before baa-chan decided to announce it to the whole village."

"I see. Alright you two, it's time to show Naruto my secret technique."

"So you're going to use that technique, it's been a while since you last used it," Fukasaku said.

"All right let's do it."

The two toads nodded and got on Jiraiya's shoulders, Naruto watched as the two toads were somehow stuck on his shoulders like they were glued there. Suddenly Naruto saw that Jiraiya's facial features have changed greatly; his nose was larger with warts, he grew a goatee and the red marks from the sides of his face was now larger. Naruto also noticed that his face wasn't the only part of his body that changed; his hands and feet have changed too, he now had webbed hands and feet, making him look like a toad.

"This might be interesting." Naruto thought as he placed his mask on his face.

---- - ----

"Asuma-sensei, can we take a break?"

Asuma turned to look at Ino and the rest of his team; they had just completed a B-rank mission to deliver important information to one of Konoha's border outposts and all was going fine till they were ambushed before they reached the outpost. They were a little banged up but in the end, they were able to deliver their message and head back.

"Alright. We'll stop and rest for a while."

Team Asuma stopped and started to relax till Ino noticed something, "Hey, aren't we near Naruto's Hive?"

Shikamaru thought about it for a moment, "Ya, I'd say we're about twelve kilometers North of the Hive."

"Then why don't we head there!?" Ino jumped to her feet.

"Troublesome. Why?"

"Well think about it. At Naruto's place, we don't have to be on guard all the time, it's comfortable and air-conditioned and he has real food, not rations and granola bars." Ino smirked when she saw Choji stop eating his chips and drool appear at the corner of his mouth.

"YOSH!" Choji jumped to his feet, "I'M WITH INO!"

"Of course you are. Troublesome."

Sighing, Asuma dropped his half smoked cigarette and stepped on it, "I guess it couldn't hurt to stop over on our way back. We are early after all."

They quickly covered the distance between them and the Hive and at the edge of the forest, they noticed the other Konoha nin sans Hiashi and Neji.

"Hey Forehead!"

"Ino?" Sakura turned towards the voice and saw Team Asuma jump out of the trees in front of them. "What are you doing here, Piggy?"

"We just finished our mission and decided to see if we can crash at Naruto's for a while. What about you?"

"Oh ya. You left the day before we did." Sakura grabbed Ino in a headlock, "Why the hell didn't you tell me about the marriage contract between Naruto and Hinata?"

"Oh. You found out about that." Ino smirked, "I wasn't the only one who knew but we decided to let the rest of you find out on your own." Ino managed to free herself from Sakura's hold. "Besides, why does it matter to you?"

Sakura was about to answer when everyone felt a chakra spike followed by a few explosions.

"What's that?"

"It's coming from where Naruto-kun is. Let's go!" Tenten took off with the others hot on her heels.

---- - ---

Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest to block a punch from Jiraiya which sent him flying backwards.

"SHIT! That hit was almost as hard as Sakura's!"

"**He's in Sage mode. Those two toads on his shoulders are drawing in Natural energy**."

"So take those out and we should have the advantage."

"**Exactly."**

"Fine!" Naruto activated his plasma-caster and fired a couple of lower powered but rapid shots at the toads.

When Jiraiya dodged the plasma bolts, Naruto quickly created several shadow clones which charged forward while he jumped back and cut his palm and was able to summon when he had to dodge a right-hook aimed for his head.

"Fuck!"

Naruto and his remaining clones extended their wrist blades and prepared to fight him in a taijutsu match. Jiraiya quickly got rid of the clones and was trading punches and kicks with Naruto.

"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" A hail storm of shurikens flew towards Jiraiya who disappeared in a puff of smoke, a log in his place.

Naruto quickly activated his thermo-vision and scanned the surrounding area but could not find him. He quickly looked down and jumped pass the tree tops and threw a combi stick like a javelin at the spot he was standing. Jiraiya jumped out of the hole as the combi stick pierced through the ground.

"KAGE BUSHUN NO JUTSU!!!" Naruto created dozens of Shadow clones that rained onto Jiraiya who dispelled them but as the last four clones surrounded Jiraiya, they all exploded.

"AHH!! Damn! I thought he just learned that move. How the hell did he get so good at it already?"

Naruto created a black katana and charged Jiraiya who jumped out of the way of Naruto's initial attack and jump over the second swing and over Naruto.

"Rasengan!"

Naruto blocked Jiraiya's Rasengan with his katana and replaced himself with another exploding clone as his katana broke, causing it to explode. Being prepared, Jiraiya jumped away, avoiding most of the explosion.

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

"Water Style: Water Bullet!" Naruto countered.

The elemental bullets collided, creating a large cloud of steam. Two Predator Shurikens flew through the cloud towards Jiraiya, who wrapped himself in his Needle Jizō causing the shurikens to grind against the needle-like hairs before they turned into Shadow clones. One tried to punch Jiraiya's exposed face but the hairs moved to cover it causing the clone to dispel. While that was happening, the other clone placed a bluish silver ball on Jiraiya before it dispelled itself.

The Sonic Disruptor detonated causing Jiraiya to drop his protective jutsu and cover his ear and try to regain his equilibrium which he did just in time to block a flying kick aimed right at his head, forcing Naruto skywards. Jiraiya formed a Rasengan in his hand which kept growing while Naruto created a shadow clone.

"SUPER GREAT BALL RASENGAN!"

"WIND STYLE: RASENSHURIKEN!"

---- - ----

All the Konoha nin were rushing towards the waterfall where they knew Naruto was and where they believed the fight was but stopped in their tracks because of the large explosion and powerful shockwave caused by the force of the attacks from the combatants, nearly blowing them off their feet.

"NARUTO!!!"

---- - ----

Both combatants were on their feet but looked like they were about to collapse any minute. They were covered in cuts, bruises and blood. Naruto took off his damaged mask and dropped it, shorting it out completely. His armor had taken most of the punishment so he wasn't bleeding as much as Jiraiya but all his Pred-tech was useless.

"Damn. You've sure improved Gaki."

"And you're still the same."

"Hey that's not true. You ungrateful brat." Jiraiya dropped his Sage mode and tried to tackle Naruto only to catch his ruined cloak.

Naruto landed behind him but his body finally gave out from the stress and he fell to his hands and knees.

"Naruto!!" The girls ran to him and Sakura and Ino started to remove his upper-body armor and check/treat his injuries.

"Hmph. Gaki gets all the attention." Jiraiya groaned as he rolled onto his back.

"Jiraiya-sama, are you alright?" Kakashi asked as he and Kurenai checked on him.

"I'll be fine. What do you think?" He asked one of the toads that hopped towards him.

"The boy certainly has potential. He did kick your butt… Pervy-sage."

"DAMN IT PA! Don't call me that!"

"Why not? It certainly suits you." Pa laughed but stopped and turned serious. "We have company."

The Jounin and Sannin noticed dozens of Drones enter the clearing, some walking pass the fallen Naruto and girls and walked/crawled towards them.

"Shit! I thought I stopped him from summoning them."

"We're close enough to the Hive that they must have ran here." Kakashi guessed.

"This could be a problem." Pa voiced out.

"Wait!"

Everyone and the Drones turned to Tenten, "Don't hurt them please."

The Drones looked to Naruto for confirmation. "Take them to the throne room."

---- Suna ----

"Temari, I want you to take a Team and try to find Naruto's… Hive as they call it."

"But why?"

"According to Tsunade, Naruto has no allegiance to Konoha and has so far killed one of their Council members; she's sent a team to try and negotiate an alliance with him but most likely they will end up with a truce."

Temari's eyes widened as she realized where Gaara was going with this, "You want him to join Suna don't you?"

"Are you serious?!" Kankuro yelled but was mostly ignored by his other siblings.

"Wouldn't you?"

"Well…" Temari avoided Gaara's stare, "I guess."

"Good. It will be beneficial to the village to have someone as powerful as Naruto on our side."

"True but if he really does not like Konoha enough to kill one of their Council members, there might be repercussions if he joins us and what if he doesn't want to fight for us because we're allied with Konoha?"

"If necessary, I am willing to break ties with Konoha after the war and I would ask that Naruto at least defend Suna and Wind Country in exchange, a place in Suna to set-up his clan and a place where he would be welcomed and treated with respect like the hero he is."

Kankuro and Temari both thought about what Gaara had said; while breaking their alliance with Konoha could be a dicey issue, gaining an ally with the power to single-handedly destroy a Hidden Village would be worth losing their existing alliance. What's more, what Gaara said was true, Naruto would be looked upon as a hero, in a way he already was.

Ever since Gaara gained the respect of the village and subsequently their admiration and love (as well as fangirls) when the whole story of how Gaara became what he is today, it all boiled down to Naruto, defending Gaara, sparing his life and giving Gaara a new goal in life. In the eyes of the people of Suna, Naruto was respected enough to be called a hero.

"I understand Gaara. Where is this Hive?"

"I've requested the information from Tsunade. We should have that information soon. You and your team are to leave as soon as we know."

"Understood."

---- Hive ----

Naruto sat on his throne in an imposing manner, not that it really bothered Jiraiya or the two Toad Elders but Jiraiya was not used to this Naruto. The last time he saw Naruto, he was an undersized, hyperactive knucklehead with a big-heart and a damn near unbreakable will. Now, he carried himself like a Kage or a ruthless warlord and in a way, he was.

Jiraiya looked around the Throne Room; the other representatives from Konoha were behind him and there were a dozen Drones flanking them but if he remembered the reports correctly, there were many more hiding in the walls that even experienced ninjas could not detect.

"Why are you here, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya winced, "I think I liked it better when he called me 'ero-sennin'," he told himself before clearing his throat, "What? Can't a teacher come visit his favorite pupil?"

"I highly doubt that is why you are here. Is there a reason you wanted me to meet the two of them?" He pointed at the two toads.

"Well it is." Jiraiya crossed his arms across his chest in a huff, "You completely disappeared without a trace and not one word and you don't expect me to worry?"

"I might give you that but why are you really here?"

"Like I said, I've come to check up on you but also to offer you something."

This got Naruto interested and leaned forward, "And that would be…"

Fukasaku stepped forward, "Tell me Naruto-chan, what did you think of little Jiraiya's Sage Mode?"

---- Naruto's Mindscape ----

Naruto entered the clearing in front of Kyuubi's cave who was sitting at the entrance waiting only this time to Naruto's left, sat the Queen on her egg sack though it wasn't in use, the ground around her covered in metal and xeno resin instead of grass.

"So what's this about?"

"**The Queen and I have been discussing our current problem of our reduced number of Drones."**

"I know… We have enough to defend the Hive or maybe defend a village but to attack one… We don't have enough to outright attack one like we did Iwa, especially one like Konoha."

"**Exactly so we've been discussing and we think we might have come up with a solution but we may need the help of one of your female friends."**

"I'm listening."

---- Farm land ----

Naruto walked towards the farm where he had sent a Shadow clone to negotiate with the farmer to buy his entire herd of cattle as well as to leave for the day. He was intrigued by the idea proposed by Kyuubi and the Queen but for now he had to replenish their numbers before they put their new plan into action.

Naruto quick ran through the necessary seals and out of the white cloud ran dozens of Face-huggers towards the unsuspecting herd as a dozen Drones stood next to him.

"Clean up when everything's done. I've got a bandit camp to visit." Naruto ordered as he walked off.

---- Hive, Training Area ----

"Tenten." Tenten and her mother turned to see Naruto walking towards them. "I need to speak with you, alone." His voice left no room for argument. "Yukari-san." Naruto greeted as an after thought.

They walked off to a corner away from prying eyes and ears.

"What do you need Naruto-kun?"

"Your blood."

"Huh?"

"Let me explain. I need some of your blood to help me with something but I can't tell you what yet. I want it to be a surprise. It is your choice Tenten, I can get the blood from other sources."

Tenten thought for a moment, whatever Naruto wanted blood for, it had to be important but it shouldn't be a life threatening amount if he's asking her right? And he did say he would tell her about it later…

"Ok but I want a private candle-light dinner tonight just you and me, no one else."

Naruto smiled, "Deal." He held up a test-tube and indicated that she needed to fill it nearly to the top.

"There better be a nice chocolate dessert included as well for this."

---- - ---

Naruto walked into the Queen's Chambers and walked up to her, "Are you ready?"

The Queen nodded and he reached into his coat and pulled out the tube of Tenten's blood and uncorked it. He started to channel Kyuubi's charka into the tube causing the blood to boil and mix with the demonic charka, turning it blood red before the glowing blood mist flowed into the Queen, who hissed as it entered her.

"Good. Now that that is done, the transformation should take twenty-four to forty-eight hours to complete." He said to himself before turning to one of the walls where three Praetorians stepped forward and kneed before him. "I will be sealing this room; no one and I mean absolutely no one is allowed to enter. Understood?"

The Praetorians nodded their understanding, "Kill anyone who enters without me."

---- River Country ----

Temari and her team which consisted of one female and male Jonin and another male Chunin were making their way though a valley in River Country. When the Team members had heard that they were going to meet the man that destroyed Iwa, they were excited and a little scared; anyone that could destroy a Hidden Village single-handedly was certainly a powerful and dangerous man.

However, when they found out that it was Naruto they were looking for, they got excited especially Rei Kusanagi, the only other female on the Team who was a bit of a fan-girl of both Gaara and Naruto, though more for the former since Naruto hardly made a name for himself before Iwa.

The team had decided to stop by a river to rest and collect water when Rei decided to ask a question, "Temari-san, what's Naruto-san like? Is he anything like Kazekage-sama?"

"Hahaha… That baka was never anything like Gaara." The others leaned closer to listen to her, "He was the exact opposite of Gaara; loud, brash and annoying but he was also kind, strong willed and friendly. It's hard to believe that he and Gaara experienced that exact something in life but turned out so differently."

Temari proceeded to tell them about her encounter with the blond and her initial thoughts about him, how he advanced to the finals of the Chunin exams (which got a huge laugh), how he defended a supposed prodigy and finally how he beat Gaara and saved him from his darkness.

"Wow. Naruto-san sounds incredible."

"Ya. He is." Temari looked away thinking about the ex-Konoha nin.

---- Clearing near Hive ----

Jiraiya looked to his left and looked at the young shinobi next to him, he'd definitely grown over the years though he was still shorter than Jiraiya, he was noticeably taller than Sakura and Tsunade now. Naruto was definitely different from the hyperactive knucklehead he taught the Rasengan to. Jiraiya wasn't blind, he knew that Naruto wanted to spend time with him when he started teaching him the Rasengen but Naruto needed to complete the steps on his own.

He kinda missed his hyper and loud attitude; the Naruto walking next to him carried himself like a seasoned and hardened shinobi much like his parents when they were heading into battle. The seriousness and battle aura that surrounded the two made even the most experienced shinobi wary of them. Jiraiya wondered if he still wanted to be a kage because he certainly carried himself like one, give him the hat and robes and you wouldn't know the difference.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing." Jiraiya thought to himself.

---- Flashback no Jutsu ----

"It was impressive. I'll give you that."

"Impressive?! In Sage mode, I'm stronger than any Kage and you're lucky I went easy on your ass."

Though Naruto did not say it, he was very sure that that was true. At his current level, actually beating Jiraiya in a straight fight would probably be damn near impossible. At best, their fight earlier can be considered a stalemate or a draw; if Jiraiya had chosen to step things up a notch, he'd have to use his trump cards and even then the result would probably be a toss-up.

"That still remains to be seen."

"Whatever. I want to teach you the Sage Arts."

"And what will be the price? My loyalty to Konoha?!" Naruto spat out the name Konoha which caused the other representatives to winces.

"I'd like that but we'll settle for your word never to use them to hurt the innocent."

"It's hard to say Jiraiya, after all in war there are bound to be collateral damage but I am willing to promise never to intentionally hurt the innocent."

"I guess that's acceptable." Jiraiya gave him a big grin. "So want to get started right now?"

---- Flashback Kai ----

They didn't start right away; Naruto had to go and take care of some deal with the farmers and bandits. He had a hell of a time explaining to the other Konoha nin why he offered to not only train Naruto but train Naruto in the Sage Arts. He made it clear that Naruto was always meant to be trained in the Sage Arts and short of Naruto turning completely evil, nothing was going to change his or the toad elders' minds, not even the Council or the Hokage.

He did not tell them that he believed that Naruto was the child of prophecy, that will either save the World or destroy it and he certainly had the beginnings to do the latter but hopefully by training him, he can remind Naruto even a little about what his goals were, to protect the village and its people or at least the village and most of its people. Sure he told Tsunade of the prophecy which caused her to promptly laugh at him but not who he believed to the child.

"Alright we're here, so what are we going to do?"

"Oh right. Well first thing first." Jiraiya summoned Fukasaku and Shima.

"Ah afternoon. Jiraiya-chan, Naruto-chan."

Jiraiya greeted them respectfully while Naruto just nodded.

"Well since you said you will not be going to Mount Myōboku till you have at least finished your business with Konoha, we will only be able to start with the basics and theory of Senjutsu." Pa explained.

"That means that later we'll have to get you to Mount Myōboku and the quickest way is through reverse summoning unless you want to spend months walking." Jiraiya pointed out.

"Then I guess I need to get rid of my suppression seal then."

"Suppression seal?"

"Yes. I know you tried to reverse summon me before because of the seal. It was placed on me about three weeks after I left the village. It prevents me from being reversed summoned."

Jiraiya clicked his tongue if he had thought about reverse summoning Naruto the moment he heard instead of trying to look for him the old fashion way, he would have found Naruto sooner but if he did, Naruto might not be as powerful as he was now. He never told anyone but even though he was not part of Konoha, he was proud of Naruto's achievements.

"How'd you learn about that seal?"

"Kyuubi."

"Alright. How do we get it off?"

"Simple, I have to summon a toad." Naruto pulled up the hood of his cloak and proceeded to summon toads for the first time in years. Naruto felt the seal appear at the base of his neck appear before glowing and evaporating always. As the smoke cleared, standing before the gathered group were the (much bigger than when Naruto last saw them) forms of Gamakichi and Gematatsu.

"Yo."

"Wow. It's been a long time since I've been summoned. Are there any snacks around?"

"Nice to see you two again."

"Yo. Jiraiya, why'd you summon us?"

"I didn't. He did." Jiraiya pointed to the cloaked Naruto.

"And who the heck are you, a new summoner?"

"Do you have any treats?"

"No on both counts though I think I might still owe Gamatatsu some snacks from last time." Naruto answered as he pulled his hood back.

"NARUTO!!!"

"Long time no see. Man you two have grown."

"So have you. Where the hell have you been!?"

"Training."

"Dad's pretty mad at you for disappearing for so long."

"Is that so? Then I better call him."

"Naruto! Wa…" It was too late Naruto had already slammed his head on the ground and a giant cloud of smoke appeared.

"JIRAIYA YOU PERVERT! WHY'D YOU SUMMON ME?!"

"Same old Gemabunta. Ero-sennin didn't summon you. I did."

Gemabunta looked down and thought for a while before he recognized Naruto.

"NARUTO!!! YOU LITTLE SNORT! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?"

"Training."

"TRAINING?! TRAINING?! You little snort I ought to stomp on you! And what's this crap I heard from the pervert you have a new summons?!"

"My Angels? Just some creatures that I have a contract with that acts like a summoning contract that allows me to bring them to my location in an instant."

Before Gemabunta could continue, Pa stepped forward and stopped him informing him that he and Shima were going to train Naruto in Senjutsu. A smile appeared at the corner of Gemabunta's mouth before it turned into a full blown smirk.

"Then I want to test him."

"WHAT!?"

"Yes. He hasn't summoned one of us in years and he goes and gets himself another summons creature. I want to make sure his skills haven't dulled."

"So you're giving him the usual test then?" Jiraiya asked somewhat relieved.

"No."

"What?" Jiraiya went pale.

"You and me little snort are going to have a little match."

"WHAT!!!" Jiraiya was about to have a heart attack.

"If you land one good hit." Gemabunta pointed with his thumb to his forehead. "Not only will I acknowledge that your skills have not dulled but you will be my partner instead of my henchmen. Something not even your dad or that pervert can claim."

"Sounds interesting. You're on." Naruto put on his mask much to the shock of everyone present.

The others quickly jumped out of the way when Gemabunta shot a stream of water towards Naruto who ran to the right as the water followed him. When the water stopped, Gemabunta leaned forward, "Come on try and hit me."

"FIRE STYLE: FIRE DRAGON MISSILE!!!

The white hot flames flew towards the toad's head who jumped back avoiding the fire stream.

"Since when could that little snort use fire jutsus?" The boss thought, not knowing that that was the same thing that most of the others were thinking.

Naruto however, did not let up, "Fire style: Art of the Dragon Flame!"

Jiraiya watched in awe as the dragon shaped fireballs flew towards Gemabunta, burning his jacket causing the Toad boss to yell in anger. "That's an incredibly high chakra consuming move and he doesn't even look winded or drawing on Kyuubi's chakra. He's definitely improved."

Naruto created a clone and both ran through different seals.

"Fire Style: Art of the Dragon Flame!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Gemabunta jumped out of the way of the super-powered fired balls.

"BRING THE HOUSE DOWN!" Gemabunta leap up and came back down causing a large earthquake.

"Damn, Bunta's serious." Jiraiya thought out loud, "Hope he doesn't hurt Naruto."

"Summoning Jutsu: Angel of the Apocalypse!" Gemabunta suddenly found himself covered but dozens of Drones clawing their way up his body biting him as they went.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

The Toad boss tried to brush them off of him, partially succeeding while Naruto used the remaining Drones as stepping stones to make his way up to Bunta's head.

"OH NO YOU DON'T! BRING THE HOUSE DOWN!"

Naruto had no choice but to jump off with the resulting impact knocking him off his feet but he recovered just in time to avoid a stream of water shot at him.

"Get over here you little snort!" Naruto jumped out of the way as the giant toad reached for him and threw six kunai with exploding notes. "Ow. The really hurt." Bunta taunted.

Naruto rushed forward and rolled avoiding a tongue shot from Bunta and created six exploding clones which jumped onto the tongue and exploded at the same time. Sending Bunta reeling back and on to his back.

"OW!!! THAT REALLY HURT!!!" Bunta drew his sword, "I'll smack you with the flat of my sword!"

Naruto disappeared just as the sword crushed the ground where he stood earlier. Gemabunta brought his sword back up failing to notice that Naruto was crouching on it. Just as Bunta was able to return the sword back, Naruto made his move and jumped towards the Toad boss and delivered a hard punch to his forehead though it didn't affect him at all.

Naruto landed on Gemabunta's nose and collapsed to his hands and knees panting and sweating up a storm.

"Not bad, little snort. Not bad."

---- - ----

Temari and her team just arrived in the clearing where Naruto and Gemabunta squared off the day before and noticed the destruction.

"What the hell happened here? It looks like a war zone."

"More like a giant toad decided to do some landscaping." Temari pointed to the giant foot prints that Gemabunta had left behind.

"Think that Jiraiya of the Sannin is in the area?"

"Most likely but if we're lucky it's Naruto and hopefully he's close."

Just as Temari finished, they noticed that they were surrounded by Drones.

"What the hell are those things?!" The Chunin yelled.

"Easy! Easy!" Temari tried to calm everyone down. "If these are what I think they are, we don't want to attack them."

"What are they Temari-san?" The male Jonin asked.

"They're Naruto's Angels, the creatures he used to destroy Iwa." Temari held her hands up to show that she was unarmed and meant no hurt, "We're not looking for trouble. We're here to see Naruto on behalf of Gaara, the Kazekage."

"Temari-san, are you sure these things can understand you?" The Chunin asked and was answered by one of the Drones roaring at him and snapping its tongue's jaw.

"Shut it, Shinji." The other Jonin yelled.

"Sorry about that but can we see Naruto? Please." Temari and the rest of her team stood nervously, surrounded by the unmoving Drones till suddenly all but one of them ran off before the Suna nin knew what was happening, the one in front of them swung its head and ran off. "Let's follow it."

They followed the Drone till it stopped and scratched the ground, showing the outline of a trapdoor. They opened it and after checking that it was safe, jumped in one by one.

"Where the hell are we?" The male Jonin asked.

"Long time no see, Rakan and to answer your question, this is the Hive."

The Suna nin turned towards the voice at the end of the corridor.

"Kakashi?"

"Yo."

"What are you doing here?"

"Naruto asked me to come and greet you." He answered nonchalantly.

"I mean what the hell are you doing here in the first place?"

"Oh. I'm here as part of a diplomatic mission to meet Naruto. Nice to see you again Temari-san."

"Kakashi-san." Temari nodded as Kakashi kept his book, "Can you take us to see Naruto-san?"

"Of course."

Kakashi led them into the throne room where they saw the other members of the Konoha team as well as Team Asuma. After exchanging greetings, Temari looked around but noticed that the main reason she was here was not present in the room.

"Where's Naruto-san?"

Naruto stepped out of his room dressed in his black trench-coat, "Welcome to the Hive Temari."

Both Temari and Rei blushed as they got a good look at Naruto.

"That's the shrimp from the Chunin exam?"

"Naruto-san is sooo hot."

"Oh Hell No! You're not going anywhere near him you hussies!" Thought several others.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked as he sat on his throne.

Temari shook her head to clear her thoughts and stepped forward with the scroll from Gaara, "The Kazekage would like to extend and invitation for you to come and formally join Sunagakure."

Naruto read the scroll and smiled as the Konoha nin grew nervous, "Suna is still allied with Konoha, I doubt Konoha's Council will be happy with this offer, let alone me accepting."

"Kazekage-sama is well aware of that and is…" Temari thought for a moment if she should continue but decided that it would be out sooner or later. "Prepared to end our alliance with the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

Gasps were heard as Hiashi stepped forward, "Temari-san, you can't be serious."

"I'm afraid so. Gaara was never happy about what happened to Naruto and neither have quite a few of our citizens and in this war, we need all the help we can get."

"A very interesting and tempting offer. I will have to think about it as I still have some business to attend to in Konoha. Till I leave, I'd like to offer you food and lodging."

"Thank you, Naruto-san." The Suna nin bowed as Naruto created a clone to show them to there room which was next to the Konoha room.

---- - ----

The ninjas gathered in the dining room and decided to talk to each other while they waited for their host.

"Temari."

"Tenten."

The two former opponents stared at each other for a moment before smiling at each other.

"So how have you been? Gotten any better?" Temari smirked.

Tenten returned the smirk and reached for her Chakra, "Ya and I have a new toy I wouldn't mind trying out on you."

"What's that?" Temari asked curious but still confident.

"A little something Naruto gave me from his armory, just the thing to use against a wind user."

Temari eyed the weapon warily, "And what did you do to get sure a toy?"

"I took a test and now have an open invitation to join his clan."

Temari was stunned for a moment but decided to use a new approach, "So I'll be seeing you in Suna soon, since it is likely that Naruto will join Suna rather than return to Konoha."

"Naruto and I are in a relationship and…"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!!!" Yelled both Sakura and Hinata which surprised Temari.

"When did he get this popular though I can see why." Temari thought.

Just as an argument was about to break out, Naruto bursted through the kitchen door and headed for the exit, "Sorry but dinner will be delayed as I have something urgent to attend to."

"Naruto-kun, what's going on?" Tenten and the others quickly followed Naruto who did not say a word till he reached the Queen's chamber.

They entered the Queen's Chamber behind Naruto; looking around the chamber, nothing was different or out of place till all eyes fell on where the Queen usually sat.

"Oh my god."

"Oh boy."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"

"I give you… The Empress."

TBC

A/N:  
I'll tell you guys more about the Empress in the next chapter, promise.

I've read the latest chapters of Naruto... and I want to pull my hair out! Sakura has made a lot of progress in my opinion from the useless fangirl where I could not even stand watch/reading most of the first series at least till Sasuke leaves. I just hope it's the stress of the situation. Sigh... Glad I got that out of my system. Now what I would like to see in the next few chapters would be something like this, Naruto somehow either captures/drives off Sasuke and Donzou is revealed to be Madara or just an evil guy and Naruto somehow gains the suport of the other Kages and somehow becomes Hokage at least till Tsunade wakes up but then again I don't own Naruto.


	11. Going Back

Disclaimer: I own neither AvP nor Naruto.

A/N:

This is my little gift fo Singapore's 44th National Day!

Leaf Ranger: True it seems after her confession, she completely falls off the radar.

Hektols: For this fic I needed Naruto to be hated to get him him forced out of the village and the easiest way is to make the Council (at least part of it) corrupt and/or self-serving and usr Naruto as a scape-goat and way to undermind Tsunade or keep her under control. But if you're talking cannon I don't think Naruto ever had it was bad as most fics make it out to be.

For Temari, I would like to add her in the harem but I got to see if I can work her in.

Kuronueslover: Tenten and Naruto are at the dating phase because while Tenten is serious about the relationship, Naruto is hlding back because of what he has planned for Konoha which will be revealed in the next chapter or you can read the spoiler in chapter 6.

Comments about the Empress will be at the bottom. Regarding Naruto's Sage mode, it won't be making an appearance so soon. I might not even use it for this fic but you never know, past the next chapter only the major battles have been planned out and some of the origninal chapters like 10, 11, and 12 have been merged and revamped (into the current chapters 10 and 11) so we'll see where it goes after the next chapter.

Another thing, I thought I cleared this up in pervious A/Ns but apparently I didn't. Anyway just in case I'm confusing anyone Drones may collectively refer to both Runners and Warriors. There are no Drones per-say here like there is in the game AvP: Extinction.

---- - ----

Dozens of people were gathering at the main gates, it was noon and soon the son of the Yondiame or the Demon Brat as some still called him will be walking through those gates. The Hokage and the Council were already waiting as will as many shinobi including the Konoha 11 who had all returned from their different missions.

When Tsunade had informed the Council of Naruto's terms and that she had already agreed to them, many were outraged, some claiming that Naruto had made attempts on their lives or that he did not deserve to receive his inheritance, others just wanted him dead or under their control.

Tsunade made it quite clear that any attempt against Naruto will be dealt with by him and she was not going to intervene. Word was quickly spread throughout Konoha and as expected, there were mixed reactions. Many were jailed or paid Ibiki and Anko a visit for disorderly conduct, vandalism and rioting.

As the people gathered at the gates, a thick mist started to roll in.

"What is with that mist?" One of the Konoha Chunin asked.

"That's no ordinary mist."

"You're right. Byakugan." A Hyuga Jonin agreed as he and a few other Hyuga tried to pierce the mist with their Byakugan.

"This mist is so saturated with chakra that I can't see through it." Hinata told the rest of her friends.

"Is it Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked.

"I think so."

As the mist surrounded them, the experienced ninjas heard the sounds of claws scratching against stone, some got into guarded stance as the mist started to clear and the outlines of the Drones became more defined as well as a figure standing up-right in front of the crowd. Finally the mist cleared, revealing Naruto dressed in the exact same outfit from Tsunade's nightmares which sent a shiver up her spine. She noticed that he was wearing the cursed necklace prominently around his neck, it and his coat moved with the wind.

The front gate and most of the stalls' roofs had Drones on them all ready to pounce. Many of the Civilians and even some shinobi stepped back in fear. Tsunade had heard the latest development from the returning members of the Konoha 11 and felt it best that she kept the information to herself especially Suna and the… Empress.

---- Flashback no Jutsu ----

Naruto smiled a bone chilling smile at the captive audience, "I give you the Empress."

The Empress roared, she was noticeably larger now than before but what caught the eyes of those that had seen the Queen before was that instead of sitting up-right on her throne-like egg sack, she was now laying reclined on her back with a smaller more opaque sack connected to her which moved around a lot.

"Naruto what happened?" Kakashi asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"A solution to my problems. Thanks to Tenten."

Everyone turned to the shocked bun-haired Chunin but before she could say anything, the Empress roared again almost in pain and the sack started to open at the top as a fully developed Warrior stepped out of it and took a few steps, on all four, forward and the sack closed up.

The newborn stood up and walked over to Naruto, who affectionately stroked its head. "The first of many, an idea of both the Queen and Kyuubi's made possible with a gift from Tenten, a human womb."

"But I didn… MY BLOOD!"

"That's right Tenten. Using your blood, Kyuubi's chakra and the xenomorph's own adaptive nature, we were able to create a new stage in their life-cycle, the Empress. There are no more eggs! No more Hosts! Just fully matured Adults!"

---- Flashback Kai ---

The only thing that was missing was the laughter of an evil dictator bent on World domination and even then the ninjas swore they heard it. Tenten had promptly fainted when she realized that she helped create the Empress.

Naruto of course gave the grand tour to the Suna nin and of course they were horrified by how the Angels were originally born. Tsunade smirked as she thought about handing some of her least favorite Council members to Naruto but it also troubled her what Kakashi told her, he had camped outside the Empress' chamber for several hours (with that damn smut book with him no doubt) and as time passed the gestation period grew shorter and shorter, from one hour per Drone to about ten to twenty minutes for one and the Empress seemed to have gotten used to the birthing process.

By all estimates, Naruto probably has as many if not more of his creatures now than when he attacked Iwa though they could not confirm it. She swallowed the lump in her throat and was about to step forward and greet him when a villager ran towards Naruto, knife in hand.

"DIE DEMON!"

"SHIT!" Tsunade cursed.

Naruto did not even bother turning his head to face his attacker as the knife was plunged into his stomach but to the shock of everyone, Naruto bursted into a gust of wind which cut the villager all over his body, completely disabling him. Before he could hit the ground, he was grabbed by the throat and lifted up by Naruto.

"The first one's free." He told Tsunade and threw the would-be attacker towards some ANBU, one of whom took the injured man away. "These however aren't."

Tsunade looked confused for a moment before a Jonin and Chunin tried their luck but were caught by Drones and a quick tongue strike through the heads ended their existence much to the horror of the civilians present. Tsunade sighed and was quite surprised that the Council members decided to hold their tongues.

"Anyone else want to try?" Naruto give them a smile that truly stuck fear in many hearts, that of a demon.

Tsunade decided to step forward before anyone else tried anything else, "I think that will be quite enough of that Naruto."

Naruto lost the psychotic smile that would made Anko shiver and replaced it with his familiar grin which put Tsunade at ease.

"Welcome home Naruto."

The grin slid off Naruto's face, "Tsunade-san." Tsunade winced and had the exact some thought as Jiraiya previously, "Konoha stopped being my home the day I was forced out. Now I am back to claim what is mine then leave."

Tsunade could not help but frown, "I understand Naruto. Shall we head to the Hokage Tower to sign the papers then you can either head to the bank or your clan compound."

Naruto signaled with a wave of his arm, shattering most of the Drones only leaving four on the ground, two Warriors and two Runners with Naruto and three Warriors on top of the buildings on either side of the streets. ANBU and some Jonin tried to follow the shattered Drones but there were too many to keep track of all.

They walked silently towards the tower, Tsunade next to Naruto and a pair of Drones on both sides and the rest of the Council behind them surrounded by ANBU. The other Drones followed along the roof-tops with more ANBU close behind but Naruto stopped at a junction and looked to his left.

"Tsunade-san I just remembered that there is something I would like to do first."

"What do you…" Tsunade stopped mid-sentence when she looked down the street and understood what Naruto wanted and turned to the rest of the Council, "I think we can meet at the bank or Tower later."

Some of the Council members did not like it but knew a dismissal when they heard one though the Konoha 11 and their senseis who were following the group decided to stick around anyway, they had a good idea what Naruto wanted. The rest of the group continued to follow Naruto down the street and a ball rolled across the street and towards him, a young boy ran up to it an picked up the ball but dropped it again in fear when he saw Naruto and the Drones.

The mother of the boy ran around the corner and froze when she saw who her son ran into but quickly ran up and kneed next to her son and wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sorry Namikaze-sama, please forgive my son for getting in your way."

Everyone watched nervously as Naruto went down on one knee and spoke to the boy at his level, ignoring the mother, "What is your name?"

"Fu..Fuuta."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Ye.. Yes. You're the son of the Yondaime, the one who destroyed Iwa."

"Do you fear me and my Angels?"

"Wel… Kind of."

"Do you intent to attack me or my Angels?" Fuuta shook his head and Naruto broke out in a big foxy grin and ruffled the boy's hair, "Then there's nothing to be afraid of, is there?"

The boy and his mother stopped trembling and stared at Naruto before the boy smiled, "No there isn't. You're really strong. One day I'm going to be a ninja and be as strong as you, maybe even stronger."

Naruto patted the boy's head much to the surprise of everyone watching even some villagers, "Then you'll have to join the academy and train hard."

"You bet." Fuuta looked over to the Runner that had picked up his ball and was holding it out to him; he accepted the ball and looked at Naruto, "Can I pat him?"

"Well he's not a dog but sure."

Everyone watch in amazement (and amusement for Naruto) as the little boy patted the Runner like you would pet a dog and commented about how the skin felt. Naruto got back to his feet and dusted off his pants as Fuuta went back to his mom.

"Grow strong Fuuta and protect those important to you."

"You bet!"

"Thank you Namikaze-sama." The mother bowed as Naruto walked by nodding.

None of the Konoha nin moved, not even the Hokage as they watched Naruto walk away, his Drones by his side.

"Wow. Naruto's great with kids." Ino commented.

"Na…Naruto-kun will make a wonderful fa…father."

The girls blushed thinking about Naruto being the father of THEIR children and Tenten decided to voice her opinion, "Ya and I'll be the mother of his kids."

"WHAT!?!"

Tsunade decided to leave the others to break up the fight and ran to catch up to Naruto as he walked into his favorite ramen stand.

"Welcome to Ichiraku." Teuchi greeted when he heard someone enter and looked up to see the customers faced cover by the menu, the tips of his spiky blonde hair peeking over the top. "What can I get you?"

"I'll take one of everything, old man." Naruto lowered the menu and smile at the ramen chef who thought he was looking at a ghost.

"Minato…"

"Nope. Sorry old man, I ain't my dad."

"Naruto? NARUTO!" Teuchi reached over and pulled Naruto into a hug as Tsunade and Shizune walked in, "Ayame come here! Our number one customer is back!"

There was a crash in the back as Ayame dropped some pots and ran out to the front and saw Naruto standing at the counter, she ran over and hugged him as tightly as she could before stepping back and gave Naruto the once over and blushed slightly commenting on how much he'd grown since he'd been gone. Now that there were away from the crowd and less tense, Tsunade and Shizune could take a good look at Naruto and had to agree that Naruto had grown in to a handsome young man and much like his father before him, had girls fighting over him though not as many since most were still afraid of Naruto.

Tsunade and Shizune sat on either side of Naruto and ordered something for themselves. They sat in silence till their food was served and started to eat. Naruto had finished his second bowl while the others had barely started and decided to start a conversation.

"By the way where is Konohamaru?"

"He and his team are currently way on a mission, they should be back in the next day or two."

"Ah. I was hoping to see them before I leave."

"You know Naruto, you can stay a little longer if you like. I kinda lied to the Council, told them you wanted three days and I could push for an extension." Tsunade sounded hopeful.

"I'll think about it but I will most likely leave tomorrow after I conclude my business."

"Oh… I see." Naruto did not miss the disappointed looks on Tsunade and Shizune's faces.

"Hey old man, give me another miso ramen!"

"Coming right up."

Naruto, don't your… Angels need to eat?" Shizune asked.

"Not as much or as often as you'd think."

Naruto started on his latest bowl when the others entered the stall and while the girls tried to shove their way to the last two remaining seats in the stall, Kakashi and Sasuke nonchalantly sat down and ordered something to eat while the others shook their heads at the display and decided to head to the dessert store that Anko frequented with Kurenai leading Hinata who gave Naruto a lingering look away, leaving Tenten and Sakura to continue their argument, uncaring of the fact that the stall was out of seats.

---- Hokage Tower ----

The Council had reconvened in the Council meeting room along with the Hokage and her Assistant, Naruto along with the senseis of the Konoha 11. Everyone was witness to Naruto signing the official documents naming him the heir and head of the Uzumaki-Namikaze Clan and taking over full control of all their assets, much to the displeasure of some Council members.

The Naruto supporters had to try and hide their smirks at the seething looks on the faces of the Naruto haters but all attention turned to a mid-age man dressed in a hakama and glasses entered the room.

"Afternoon Hokage-sama and esteem Council members, I am Takahashi Daisuke and I am the bank manager for the Konoha bank. I have with me all report on all the assets owned by one Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze."

"Thank you, Takahashi-san. Please begin."

"Yes well, within our bank's accounts the combined assets of the Uzumaki-Namikazes stand at 327 067 450 052 ryo in cash."

Everyone's mouth dropped open except Danzo.

Kakashi even dropped his book thinking, "That's a lot of Icha Icha."

"Damn… Too bad I'm too old for the gaki though…" Tsunade turned to the stunned face of Shizune.

"That's a lot of money."

"Yes Namikaze-sama, your family was, I mean is, one of the wealthiest in Konoha; the only other clans that come close is the Hyuga and the Senju whose funds are held in a village trust."

The banker continued after Tsunade managed to calm the room down, "You also own or are a shareholder of several companies in Konoha and even four in other countries and villages. These include an inn in Bird Country, a 55% stake in a 4-star hotel in Honoo Town in Fire Country, a two hundred and fifty-seven acre rice farm in Rice Country…"

"Rice Country." Naruto thought as his eyes narrowed, "That's Orochimaru country."

"And a 73% stake in a famous casino and hot-spring resort in Tsumi City …"

"THE GAKI OWNS ETERNAL FLAMES RESORT!?!" Tsunade jumped up slamming her hands on the table.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shuzune reprimanded.

"What's the matter obaa-chan? Owe a little money do we?" Naruto teased despite the image he was trying to maintain, he couldn't help himself.

"Shut it brat." Tsunade sat back down.

"Now on to the local businesses and assets, Namikaze-sama owns the market place on 18th Street…"

Some of the members of the Merchants' Guild gulped and started to sweat especially since some of their best performing stores were there and that marketplace was one of the most popular places for shoppers.

"He also owns apartment blocks 17, 18 and 19 on Summer Wind Avenue as well as the row of shop-houses on the corner of Main Street…"

A member of the Construction Guild sighed in relief, he and his family were always neutral toward the young man as a child and even offered him a unit for his use but was always blocked by the other council members though he was very sure some of his fellow guild members will be sweating once they hear the news that the buildings they were managing belonged to the young Namikaze. He just hoped he and his family will be spare from any action the young demon container might take.

"He has a 40% stake in the Konoha Daily, a 57.6% stake in Foo-Huo Textile Company…"

"WHAT!?" jumped up a man in his late forties.

"Sit down, Fokushima." Warned Tsunade, "I know your family owns a large share in that company but apparently Naruto now owns a larger share."

"As I was saying he also owns 95% of the Konoha water purification plant, the shares of which were transferred to his mother because of her contributions and subsequently purchased additional shares and finally is a 50% stake in a popular Family BBQ Restaurant."

At that, Asuma's unlit cigarette fell out of his mouth realizing that they were talking about the restaurant that he and his team often frequented.

"His family also has several safety deposit boxes as well as some loan contracts that we are helping to maintain."

"Well that's a present surprise. I did not expect to be that rich."

"While your father was orphaned at an early age, the Namikaze were amongst the first clans to join Konoha after it was established and while it was not the wealthiest at the time, many wise investments by your grandfather and earnings and rewards earned by your father had moved the Namikaze into the top five wealthiest in Konoha. Your mother arrived here with a few members of her village but she brought with her storage scrolls filled with treasure some of which she gave to the villagers to restart their lives, we believe that most of them are stored in the safety deposit boxes under the Uzumaki and subsequently both Uzumaki and Namikaze names. With their marriage kept secret except to a select few including myself, the accounts were kept separate till a time that their marriage and/or heir were revealed but even I did not know that you were their child, Namikaze-sama."

"Yes Sensei knew that Naruto was their child therefore he decreed that all the assets of the Namikaze and Uzumaki families be maintained as they were instead of being absorbed into the village treasury as is the normal practice when a family died out; this of course led to the rumors that the Minato had a child but those rumors died out pretty quickly without anyone realizing just how true they were." Tsunade smiled thinking about the Sandaime.

The bank manager placed the files and folders on the table in front of Naruto and bowed before walking over to where the Jonin Senseis were seated and took a seat. After a quick flip through some of the top folders, Naruto looked over to Tsunade and asked that none of what is heard today be allowed to be repeated by anyone but him, to which Tsunade agreed but she and Naruto were not stupid; it was likely that some of the Council members were going to spread word of Naruto's newfound wealth the moment they left the room but at least this allowed the two of them to deal with them.

"I would like to head to my clan compound now and look over the rest of these and any other documents I come across before making a decision on what to do with them."

"Of course." Tsunade took out a scroll and key and handed them to Naruto, informing him about the map and the blood seal that protected the compound.

As the Council walked out of the room, the Konoha 11 noticed more than a few unhappy faces though the shocked look on Gai, Kurenai and Asuma as well as the daydreaming and shit-eating grin on Kakashi's face seemed to draw most of their attention.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's with the look?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing. Nothing at all and before any of you ask, we can't tell you guys anything about what happened in there." He turned around to face Naruto, not missing the slightly disappointed looks on some of their faces, "Naruto how about dinner? Your treat."

"Trying to mooch off me already, Kakashi?"

"Ma. Ma. Naruto, how about those times I brought you guys for ramen after training and it's not everyday someone inherits as much as you do."

"So Naruto inherited some money from his parents."

"What a drag… Ino, the Yondaime was part of one of the richest clans in Konoha and Naruto being his only child would inherit all of it."

A smirk appeared on Ino's face which went unnoticed by the other girls behind her and walked up to Naruto with an extra sway in her hips and pressed herself up against Naruto and started to flirt with him, "Say Naruto, how about we go on a date before you leave?"

"WHAT!!!"

Naruto figured out what Ino was up to and decide to play along, "Hmm… I don't know Ino. I got a lot of paperwork to do then there's Hinata and Tenten, got to spend time with them too."

"You're such a player. Then how about just buying me some expensive jewelry then?"

"INO-PIG!"

"GOLD-DIGGER!"

"WHAT!?!" This was followed shortly by a thump.

"Geez. Relax you three I'm not after Naruto for his money." Ino couldn't help but laugh at their expressions, "It was a joke." But no one noticed the slight look of disappointment on her face as everyone walked towards the stairs till Naruto stopped and spoke to her.

"I might take you up on that date offer some other time but for now come on, looks like I'm buying."

Ino smiled and caught up with them after all it wasn't everyday that Naruto was buying. Everything was fine till they exited the tower and found more than a dozen men and women, everyone tensed up expecting trouble but were rather stunned when the group fell to their knees and bowed.

"Please forgive us Uzumaki-sama." Called out the man at the front of the group who they assumed was the leader.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"We beg you for forgiveness for our crimes against you even after everything your mother did for us."

Naruto extended both his wrist-blades and some Warriors clung to the walls of the tower above and behind Naruto, "Explain yourselves."

"We were all refugees from Whirlpool who came here after the destruction of our homeland, your mother was part of the most prestigious clan in the village equal in standing to the Hyugas here. We never hated you for the fox but for the fact that you were given her family name without any proof or mention that you were her son so when the villagers attacked you, we took the chance to join them. Please, we beg for your forgiveness."

Naruto retracted his blades and waved off the Warriors, "I'll let you live but forgiveness is not yours this day."

Naruto walked off never looking back at the group who were too ashamed to raise their heads to even look at him as he walked away. The girls gave the group a sympathetic look and felt torn between thinking that the group deserved what they got and disappointed that Naruto did not forgive them. The girls were also sad at being reminded that the old Naruto they knew, who never held a grudge against anyone was gone but hopefully not that far gone that he would never forgiven anyone.

As they approached the BBQ Restaurant that Team 10 frequented, they were surprised to find all the staff including the head chef lined up outside and bowed to him, "Welcome back Namikaze-sama."

The head chef stepped forward and bowed to Naruto, "Welcome back, Namikaze-san."

"Thank you Setsuna-san, you always were kind to me."

"Well it was thanks to your father that I was able to open this restaurant, the least I could do was honor his last wish. Imagine my and Teuchi's surprise when we found out you were Minato's son. Come now you must be hungry, you and your guests can have anything you want after all you own half this restaurant now."

"WHAT?!?" Choji yelled before his brain shutdown imagining the free-for-all buffet he had just scored and a waterfall of drool flowed out of his mouth much to Ino's disgust.

---- Namikaze Compound ----

Naruto was walking though the streets of Konoha in the high-end district, surprisingly he was alone; none of the girls were with him and other then the four ANBU (two of whom were ROOT) who were following him. He was now in front the Uzumaki-Namikaze Compound that was located near the Hyuga Compound but further back in the woods and near the mountain-side which eventually led to the Hokage faces. He stepped towards the gate and looked at what was beyond it, he smiled, every time he passed this 'vacant' lot he would smile for some reason. He always assumed it was the field of flowers he saw which he now knows is a powerful genjutsu used as part of the defenses to protect the compound. Naruto lifted his arm and cut his palm and pushed against the iron gates so that he could finally get home. He felt the sensation that the barrier gave whenever he touched it. He pushed through it, feeling a tingling sensation in his arm and reached the cold bars, pushing them open. The gates slowly and silently opened themselves after the slight and gentle touch of Naruto's hand.

It was a large estate with flower gardens in the front, a Zen garden and a private training ground with a dojo at the far end of the property along with a private onsen in the back. The house itself was a two story mansion and a basement but with more of a western touch to it than most of the other houses in Konoha with hard wood floors, cupboards and door, marble countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. There was a massive kitchen and dining room, a wine cellar that had remained untouched with various wines and aged Sake. His room, the master bedroom like most the other bedrooms was on the second floor also had a private bathroom with a tub large enough for two people, three if they wanted to get cozy in it. There was even a trapdoor with a ladder that led to a nice office on the ground floor connected to the Clan library.

Naruto stood in the middle of the large hall, looking at the picture of his parents that hung over the fire place. He smiled; he was definitely taking that picture with him when he left. He made his way to the library and gasped slightly in awe at the sight in front of him as he entered the archives. In front of him were thousands upon thousands of scrolls. Different types of ninjutsus, genjutsus, taijustus and who knows what else, all organized into rows and rows of shelves.

Naruto randomly pulled out a scroll from the water ninjutsu section and saw the Whirlpool symbol on the seal meaning that it was most likely an Uzumaki family scroll. He opened it and started to read, "So this is how you convert chakra into water. This could come in handy."

He placed the scroll under his arm and continued to look around, randomly checking different scrolls and either placing them back on the shelves or under his arm. As he reached the last row of shelves, he saw a deck with a box on it and a tag with his name tied to it. Naruto opened the box and took out the scroll that was on it, ignoring the kunais under it, he only read the name of the technique before a big smile appeared across his face.

"Hiraishin."

Naruto tightened his grip on the scroll as his body shook, trying to get control of himself but failing.

"**Let it out, Kit. You know you want to."**

"BWHAHAHAHA."

"**I'm so proud."** Kyuubi wiped the imaginary tear with his tail.

---- Hokage Tower ----

The entire Council, the Jonin Senseis and Daisuke were once again gathered in the Council Chambers waiting for Naruto to arrive and inform them of what he was going to do. They had met two hours earlier discussing ways to keep as much of if not all of the Uzumaki-Namikaze assets in Konoha, some proposing that Naruto be forced into submission, others arguing that he should be allowed and asked to stay in Konoha. In the end, the meeting ended up being a big shouting match which ended in dead-lock and a headache for Tsunade. They had no choice but to wait for Naruto's decision…

"I want to withdraw everything."

"EVERYTHING?!"

"Yes, everything."

"But… but… if you withdraw everything the bank will not have enough operating capital."

"Not my problem. You have reserves, draw on them. I will also be closing and liquidating all my family businesses and selling off all my shares in every company I own or shut them down."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!" Yelled one of the Civilian Councilman, "That will put hundreds out of a job and might even put our economy into a recession!"

"So."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SO?!"

"It is not my concern, this village ran me out and now I am leaving and taking EVERYTHING that belongs to me. Furniture, money, jewelry, deeds, weapons, scrolls and anything that isn't nailed down."

"So nothing will be left but the land and an empty house…" Tsunade sighed.

"I will also be taking every jutsu scroll with including this one. Catch!" Naruto threw a kunai at Tsunade who caught it effortlessly but when she and everyone noticed that it was the infamous three-pronged head of a Hiraishin kunai, a gasp was heard through out the room.

"The Flying Thunder God technique…" Kakashi breathed out.

"But that jutsu was lost with the Fourth!" A Civilian Council member yelled out.

"You did not consider the possibility that my father kept notes? Regardless, I will be taking the scrolls with me when I leave. Consider the kunai a parting gift."

"YOU CAN'T TAKE THAT JUTSU! IT IS KONOHA'S STRONGEST TECHNIQUE!!!"

"Wrong. It is one of the Namikze's strongest techniques. And I have every right to take it with me."

"Hokage-sama…" A minor Shinobi Clan head practically begged.

"Naruto maybe you can allow someone like Kakashi to…"

"No." Naruto interrupted Tsunade, his tone showing that he was not in the mood for negotiating or playing around, "I have no intention of teaching my father's technique to any Konoha ninja and that is final. Takahashi–san, when will the funds be ready for me to collect?"

"The money will be ready in about six hours." He answered in defeat.

"Then I'll be on my way now and will be at your bank before closing." Naruto got up and left, intentionally giving members of the Civilian Council a smirk before exiting.

Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, she could just feel the headache coming, "There is nothing else we can do for now. This meeting is adjourned."

"HOKAGE-SAMA YOU CAN'T JUST LET THAT BRAT TAKE EVERYTHING!"

"What do you want me to do? We can't fight him, everything is legally his and the ANBU are already having a hard time keeping track of the creatures that are already in the village. He has not done anything against us…"

"HE MADE AN ATTEMPT ON MY LIFE!"

"And I told you we did not find any proof of Naruto's creatures going after you; those burn marks could not have been from those creatures' blood. You have to have hurt them and you yourself said you ran."

"We should force him to stay or kill him and take everything!"

"Are you stupid!? He has not done anything to threaten us. And before you say anything else, he does not need to summon his creatures; I have reports from patrols stating that there are large groups of his creatures waiting in the open, not even bothering to hide just out of sight of civilians. Just one mental command and they'll swarm this village. I do not want to hear any more."

Tsunade got up and walked out of the room followed closely by the Jonin senseis, major clan heads and Naruto's supporters. Some of the less hardcore Naruto haters reluctantly got up and left, leaving only the more hardcore Naruto haters and Danzo supporters behind, all fuming at the current state of affairs.

"That Demon is taking the Yondaime's Hiraishin no jutsu with him. No one else knows how to use it."

"If that happens, Konoha will no longer be the strongest."

"With all the money he's taking with him, he could start his own village."

"And put us in a recession which could bankrupt us."

"But what can we do? All we can do is let the brat have his way, even the Uchiha won't help us."

"Then are we just going to sit here and let him take everything?"

"No, we cannot allow the demon to leave with everything. We have to strike and strike NOW!" Danzo slammed his fist onto the table much to the support of the gathered crowd.

---- - ----

Naruto stood on the roof of the Ninja Academy, looking over the village that his parents swore on their life and gave them to protect and the one that he had sworn to protect before he was forced out. Now he was torn between just leaving and waiting or just break his promise and leave nothing but scorched earth and blood where Konoha now stands. With all the money and resources that he will be taking with him when he leaves, it will make Konoha hard pressed to carry on with its war efforts.

At the very least, he should offer Ayame, Teuchi and Setsuna a chance to leave the village and set up somewhere else just in case. Suna is a tempting option, another would be to start his own village, maybe he can talk to the Fire Daimyo after the fall of Konoha. Wave was another definite possibility. Getting Tenten and Hinata out is another problem, their loyalty to Konoha is likely to be too strong to just ask them to up and move away with him.

"Soon." Naruto whispered to himself, "Konoha is reaching its boiling point and soon it will tear itself apart if its enemies don't do it themselves."

"Naruto-kun."

Naruto turned around and noticed Sakura standing a few feet away from him, her hands behind her back and avoided his gaze, overall looking like a bashful schoolgirl rather than an experienced kunoichi.

"What do you want Sakura-chan?"

"I was wondering if maybe you would… would like to go out on a date with me later."

"You have no have no idea how much I've always wanted to hear that Sakura-chan." She smiled at that but got nervous and worried when he frowned and sighed, "But I'm going out with Tenten now and I guess with Hinata as well and not to mention that I will be leaving this village soon. Maybe forever."

"Forever…" Sakura did not want to believe what she was hearing. It was breaking her heart to hear that.

"Frankly, I don't think it's fair for Tenten and Hinata to be seeking a relationship with me especially when I am probably an inch away from being listed as Konoha's most hated enemy if I haven't already been. Sakura."

She looked at him in curiosity.

"I had a crush on you when we were younger."

"Had…" Her heart broke even more.

"Then it became something more but then that day happened and I have never been hurt like that before, not even when Sasuke shoved that Chidori through my chest."

Sakura looked down and let her tears hit the floor, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to be hurt like that again Sakura. Right now you're the only one who can do that. I'm sorry."

Naruto turned away and started to leave.

"**TELL HIM!!! FOR KAMI'S SAKE PLEASE TELL HIM!!! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE!!!"** Inner Sakura screamed/begged.

"I'M SORRY NARUTO-KUN! I LOVE YOU!"

TBC

A/N:  
This is my first omake. Hope you enjoy it. Inspired by LoPe21's comment/review.

_Omake_

Everyone watched nervously as Naruto went down on one knee and spoke to the boy at his level, ignoring the mother, "What is your name?"

"Fu..Fuuta."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Ye.. Yes. You're the son of the Yondaime, the one who destroyed Iwa."

"Do you fear me and my Angels?"

"Wel… Kind of."

"Do you intent to attack me or my Angels?" Fuuta shook his head and Naruto broke out in a big foxy grin and ruffled the boy's hair, "Then there's nothing to be afraid of, is there?"

The boy and his mother stopped trembling and stared at Naruto before the boy smiled, "No there isn't. You're really strong. One day I'm going to be a ninja and be as strong as you, maybe even stronger."

Naruto patted the boy's head much to the surprise of everyone watching even some villagers, "Then you'll have to join the academy and train hard."

"You bet." Fuuta looked over to the Runner that had picked up his ball and was holding it out to him; he accepted the ball and looked at Naruto, "Can I pat him?"

"Well he's not a dog but sure."

Fuuta stepped forward and started to stroke the Runner's head, surprisingly the Drones started to bounce one of its hind leg and it started to make loud panting sounds.

"KAWAIII!!!"

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Tenten jumped forward and started to pat and stroke the Runner's head with the young boy eventually getting the Runner to roll on its back where she started to rub its stomach and asking it 'Who's a good boy?' in the same tone/voice you would use on a baby. Everybody had large sweat drops on their heads, even Naruto, at the sight.

"Well that's unexpected."

"You're a good boy aren't you? Yes you are. Yes you are." Tenten cooed.

---- A/N ----

Regrading the Empress, it is based on the Queen for the 4th Alien movie, Alien Resurrection. The name Empress is based on the name I found on Wikipedia, an Empress is formed when there is more than 1 Queen and they will fight for dominance and is suppose to still be about to lay eggs, I think it was mentioned in a game. I decided on the name to denote the difference between the Queen (Empress) in my story and the regular Queen and also because of an idea I would like to use later.

I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys about the Empress since suprisingly only 1 or 2 guessed that I would be using the form from the 4th movie and a lot of people guessed that it would be a humanoid Queen/xenomorph.

I hope that you guys are looking forward to the next chapter, war comes to Konoha.


	12. Civil War or Breaking Point

A/N:  
Hey guys, I back. Sorry it took so long not only did I have a bad case of writer's block, I've been busy with other projects like my Scouts and business. I had a pretty hard time with this chapter cos originally this was nothing but a series of fight scenes strung together. I have no idea why but fight scenes hardly interest me anymore, like lemons I skip them most of the time but I managed to get it done, hope you like it.

Tribzilla: I admit, that was an oversight as I was following the 4th Alien movie where I think the interval between one Xeno to the next is about 5mins cos at the start of some guy's monologe 1 Xeno was born and near the end another (a deformed one) was born before killing the guy. But thankfully an earlier idea I plan to take place later will help correct this oversight.

Kingdark: I'll keep your suggestions in mind. As for his project... I'm not telling... Yet. XD

ArmorOfGeddon: I wasn't planning to going in-depth into the relationship between Naruto and the Xenos just dropping little hints here and there but since you brought out some valid points, I'll go more in-depth in later chapters so as not to give away to much and fill in some gaps in the later chapters.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor AVP.

* * *

"I love you, Naruto-kun!" Sakura stated firmly, her tearful eyes wavering as she gazed into the Hunter's eyes whom she admitted her love to. "I love you so much! Ever since I realized Sasuke would never return my feelings for him, I knew that the one who was truly there for me, the one who I secretly admired, the one who had been returning these feelings of admiration and love and the one who I have denied for so long…is really you, Naruto-kun!"

"Sakura, I…" Naruto was interrupted by aloud explosion just outside of the Hokage Tower.

"An attack?"

"I think you should go Sakura," he told her.

Sakura looked at him sadly and nodded before heading towards the tower. When Sakura was out of sight, the same spine chilling smile that Naruto gave when the Konoha 11 and their senseis first found him appeared across his face.

"Hahaha… It's time." Naruto summoned a dozen shadow clones and two dozen of his Drones; he did not need to summon any more, the rest were on their way, "You all know what to do."

"HAI!"

* * *

- Hokage Tower, Hokage's Office -

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

Two ANBU appeared and kneed in front of Tsunade and Shizune as more explosions were heard in the background.

"Hokage-sama, Danzo and his supporters have started a rebellion. Fighting has broken out in ANBU headquarters and several of the outposts. There are civilians rioting in the streets and some even attacking ninja."

"Shit. The safety of civilians is the main priority; get the academy students and anyone still loyal to us to safety and contain the situation. Where are Danzo and the Elders?"

"Unknown."

"Have a team find them and bring them in. Dead or alive."

"Understood Hokage-sama." With that, the ANBU disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Shizune, get to the hospital and help out there. Take a team or two to secure it."

"Hai." With that, Shizune left leaving Tsunade alone as she looked out her window.

"You can come out now. I know you're there."

Six ROOT ANBU appeared with their weapons drawn.

"By order of Danzo-sama and the Elders, you are to either surrender or die?"

"Hmmm… Let me think." Tsunade tapped her chin in a mock think fashion and turned to the group. "I choose option 3. YOU DIE!" She shouted and kicked her desk sending it flying towards her would-be assassins.

* * *

The same long silver haired Councilman with glasses that had recommended that they tricked Naruto was currently packing his bags. He was Nobuko Aso and was a firm supporter of Danzo, especially if it made him rich and kept him out of trouble. He had every faith that Danzo and his supporters would win this little civil war but why take any chances with his safety.

He stopped packing when he heard the sounds of the guards he placed just outside his room fighting; the sounds of metal clashing was quickly followed by the sounds of blades swinging through the air and screams of pain as blood splashed across the sliding door. Nobuko dropped his bag and backed away as a shadow appeared in front of the door and it slid open to reveal a mask-less Naruto.

"Nobuko Aso, you've stolen from the village, kidnapped and used seven young girls over the last five years and when you got tired of them, you sold them off as slaves."

"SO WHAT!" Naruto extended his wrist-blade, scaring Nobuko. "Now. Now. Uzumaki-san. I'm sure we can talk about this. What do you want? Money? Women?"

"I am your judge, jury…" Nobuko turned to run but a face-hugger jumped onto his face. "And executioner."

* * *

- ANBU Headquarters -

ANBU Headquarters was a war zone that few have ever experienced and few if any thought that it was even possible. Earlier, three ROOT ANBU had broken through the front doors of ANBU Headquarters and proclaimed that Konoha was now under the control of Danzo and the Elders, in order to stop the loss of Konoha's strength and power at the hands of the Hokage and the Kyuubi brat.

Some of the regular ANBU joined them without hesitation but when those still loyal to the Hokage decided to fight back, that was when the shit hit the fan. ROOT had sent a few others to infiltrate the headquarters at different points, securing key points like equipment rooms and killing those that resisted.

As one of the regular ANBU who supported Danzo ran into a room to catch his breath, he felt a presence behind him and turned around to find Naruto with his mask on standing behind him.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?"

Naruto took off his mask and answered, "Your head on a pike."

"It's You! The Demon!"

Before the ANBU could react, Naruto had rushed forward hitting his target's kunai away with his left arm and stabbed him through the stomach and out the back with his right wrist-blades. "Be thankful that I am giving you a quick death." With that, he jerked out his blades and slashed the ANBU's throat, spraying his blood across the wall.

After cleaning his blades, Naruto pulled out his Bingo Book and using the dead man's blood, drew an 'X' across his picture just as another ANBU entered the room only to be pounced on by a Runner on the wall.

"Well well well. This must be my lucky day, the last two remaining ANBU in my Bingo Book happen to come in to work on the same shift."

"Let me go you filthy demon, so that I can finish what the Yondaime started."

"I doubt my father would let you kill me, he'd probably destroy this village for everything that it's done to me."

"SHUT UP! You are not the Yondaime's son. You're a… You killed Ganro!"

"Yes and now you'll join him." With a small nod, the Runner spilled the ANBU's brains across the floor with which Naruto used to cross out another page in this Bingo Book.

* * *

- Konoha Main Gate -

Izumo and Kotetsu collapsed to their knees as a few ROOT shinobi and Chunin who supported Danzo surrounded them. They were the only ones left of their group when fighting broke out.

"Looks like this is it huh?"

"Ya." Kotetsu replied as he raised his swords. "What a way to go. By our own Leaf Shinobi."

"Ya."

The duo got to their feet and braced themselves as the traitors charged them; they managed to hold their ground a little longer before one of the other Chunin was able get in close enough to stab Izumo in the head with a kunai. Izumo stared in shock; everything seemed to move in slow motion till a plasma bolt hit the Chunin in the head, knocking him away from Izumo.

Everyone turned to the direction of the shot and saw Naruto standing on the roof of a shop-house, his plasma-caster smoking. He started taking aim at different targets and started firing quick shots at his targets, most of whom were able to dodge but some were hit while the rest who dodged were quickly swarmed by Drones.

"Thanks Naruto. We owe you." Kotetsu yelled.

Naruto just nodded and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. The pair were about to run off when they saw dozens of Drones entering the village through the gates or over the wall.

"Oh boy."

* * *

Tamachi and Satoshi Hanamichi, both brothers on the civilian council of Konoha, both corrupt. Tamachi more so than Satoshi, while Satoshi embezzled funds and supported some of the less than ideal decisions made by certain members of the council, some resulting in the death of some Konoha ninjas, Tamachi did all that and more. Slave trading, sex slaves, bribery, theft, extortion were just the tip of the iceberg of the things he had done.

They were busy packing their ill gotten gains when they heard a crash from downstairs, in a panic Satoshi ran out of the study and into another without sparing a thought for Tamachi.

"Satoshi get back here!" Tamachi ran into a bedroom just in time to see Satoshi close the closet. "What the hell are you doing? Forget them!"

Before Satoshi could reply, two Warriors broke through the floor with their tail and claws before jumping through and landing on the floor followed by another three that entered through the door with Naruto right behind them. The Warriors tackled the two men and one of the Warriors quickly killed Satoshi's brother. As a Warrior holding Satoshi was about to finish him off, Naruto signaled for the Warrior to wait and for another to check the closet. The Warrior walked over and ripped open the door ready to kill whoever it found if need be but only found a terrified woman and three children. Naruto mentally commanded the Warrior to back away while the other to dispel itself and to take Tamachi's body with it so as not to scare the children too much.

"P… Please don't hurt us, don't hurt my family. I'll do anything." He begged.

Naruto walked over to Satoshi and jerked him by his collar, "Who are they? Really." He brought his wrist-blade up to threaten him. "Tell me!"

"PLEASE DON'T HURT MY DADDY!"

Naruto turned to the little girl in shock though his mask prevented anyone from seeing it. He turned back and whispered, "Do they know what you've done?"

"My… My wife suspects but I never told them. I just want a good life for them."

"NO MATTER THE COST!" Naruto squeezed his throat hard before releasing the pressure.

Satoshi hung his head in shame, "I'm sorry… Please… I'll do anything."

"Run."

"What?"

"Leave Konoha. Hell, leave Fire Country because if you ever cross my path again, you will die." With that, Naruto disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

* * *

- Hokage Tower -

Tsunade ducked under the katana of the ROOT that was attacking her and kicked the body of another on the ground towards her attacker who jumped over the human soccer ball and threw a dozen shuriken at her. Tsunade avoided them by jumping up and pushed off from the ceiling and tried to crush one of the ANBU's skull but ended up putting another hole in the wall.

Tsunade dodged a stab from a kunai and countered with a punch that did nothing but make her explode into water. She growled as another ANBU tried to slash her with a tanto. She sported some burn marks on her arms and was breathing a little hard, she had managed to take out two of her attackers but the last four were giving her some trouble. Maybe she should not have sent her ANBU away to help the others.

A ROOT member rushed forward, running through some seals but before he could finish, Tsunade stomped on the floor, breaking one of the planks which swung up in perfect position to impale the rushing ANBU in the stomach had he not avoided it. Tsunade was not Hokage for nothing and had anticipated the move, appearing where the ANBU stopped and connected with a hard hit to the temple.

"Three left."

Quickly drawing four kunai from behind her, Tsunade threw them and jumped out the window, landing on the awning of the lower level just as the explosive tags wrapped around their handles detonated.

"I didn't think it would be that easy to get rid of you." She turned to see the three ANBU standing behind her.

They did not bother to say anything and attacked; Tsunade ducked and blocked the kicks and punches thrown by two of the three remaining ROOT members. One of the attacking ANBU ducked under Tsunade's punch and jumped out of the way allowing the third member to kick her in the stomach sending her through the wall and into a room in the tower. One of the ROOT ANBU tried to finish Tsunade off with a kunai through the heart but ended up stabbing a chair she used to replace herself with and instead finished off her would-be assassin with a hard uppercut to the chin.

Tsunade turned to the center of the room to face the last two assassins but just as they were able to attack, two Warriors leap through the hole in the wall and attacked them, both were grabbed by the sides of their heads and had their brains spilled across the floor through a tongue strike by one and a tail strike to the head by the other.

Had Tsunade been anyone else with less experience on the battle field, she was sure she'd be blowing chunks; she did not let her guard down however. She knew she was the worst possible type of fighter to face these creatures and even if Naruto was commanding them, she had to be careful.

"Man Baa-chan, you must really be getting old if you took this long to handle them and we even had to help you with the last two."

"Shut it brat." She relaxed a little as Naruto sent the Drones away and started to remove the masks of the dead ANBU. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking to see who they are. To form an assassination team for the Hokage should warrant at least one or two of ROOT's best. It looks like they sent three of their Captains." Naruto answered as he crosses out three entries from his book before he sighed and tore out a page.

"Thanks for the assist but I could have taken them."

Naruto turned and smiled at her but it was not his regular smile, "It's time for you to return that little favor you owe me, Baa-chan."

She did not like that smile he was giving her but she did owe him, "What do you need from me?"

"Bait."

* * *

- Konoha Hospital -

Sakura punched another civilian in the face and sent him flying into another. She should be in the hospital helping with the injured but there were too many rioters and ninja trying to take over the hospital that Shizune sent her and a couple other medic-nin to help protect the hospital.

"I don't know how long more I can keep this up."

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The fireball hit several rioters killing some of them instantly. Sakura turned to the source of the fireball and saw Sasuke appear with Team Gai minus their sensei.

"Sakura, take the rest of the medic-nin and the injured back into the hospital. We'll protect it." Neji yelled.

"Hai."

"Stupid civilians. Do they really think they can get past us?" Sasuke sounded like his old arrogant self and saw four ROOT members appear to lead the crowd. "Crap. It just got harder."

"I'd say it just got more interesting." Neji got into a stance.

"YOSH! I shall show these people the power of my youthfulness and challenge a powerful opponent!"

"Shut it Lee! Summoning Jutsu!"

* * *

- Hyuga Compound -

"Have the Branch House members protect the compound. Find Haishi, it's time we get rid of him and his ridiculous idea of getting rid of the Cage Bird Seal and run the Hyuga Clan and Konoha like how it should be," ordered one of the Hyuga Elders.

"I think we should send some of our more reliable members out to help take over Konoha."

One of the Elders looked down to another bound Elder, "Soon you and your son's fate will be sealed. And don't worry, your granddaughters will be well taken care of, I'm sure Hatori will find some use for them."

Hinata and Hanabi's grandfather tried to struggle but it was futile as even those of like mind were cowed into submission, only he dared to speak up. He felt like crying at the fate that may befall his granddaughters but just as he lost all hope, sounds of fighting were heard from the outside before a Hyuga came crashing through the screen door being tackled by a Runner before both disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Elders leap to their feet as a masked Naruto walked through the hole in the door.

"YOU! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I am here to hold up my end of a deal."

"Deal?"

Naruto smirked under his mask.

* * *

- Flashback no Jutsu -

Hiashi walked alone through the corridors towards Naruto's Throne Room, he felt a little unnerved that those creatures could be all around him and there was little he could do to defend himself if they chose to attack but according to the others, as long as they were not hostile to Naruto, posed a threat or try to enter any of the locked rooms or the Birthing Chambers, they were fine and the Angels would not attack them without Naruto's orders.

Though they did advise that they do not walk around the Hive alone, Hiashi told them that he had to speak with Naruto alone, which is why he was heading for the Throne room, having been told that Naruto did most of his work there and that the entrance to his personal quarters was also there. As he entered the Throne Room, he saw Naruto on his throne, in a meditative state. Naruto opened his eyes to see Hiashi standing before him.

"I have a proposal for you."

"I'm listening."

"I love my daughters, despise what people may believe and I have my concerns about the Hyuga Elders."

"And what would you have me do?"

"I would like you to get rid of them and those that support them."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Get rid of them? You mean kill them."

"Yes." Hiashi said to the point.

"I have a feeling this may take awhile. Please have a seat." He motioned with his hand and a Xeno brought a chair over which Hiashi took.

"I believe that the Hyuga Elders do not have what is best for Konoha or even the clan at heart." Hiashi continued to explain how he did not wish to place either of his daughters in the Branch House and especially placing the Cage Bird Seal on one of them, how he has despised the Main and Branch House system, how he believes that the Elders wish to get rid of him and run the clan themselves before placing another male Hyuga Chunin as Clan-head.

"And I take it you have no proof?"

"I do have some but not enough to get the Hokage involved as most can be referred to as Clan matters. Another circumstantial piece of evidence is that Hatori has not had the Cage Bird Seal placed on him yet though he is well past the traditional age."

"Hatori? Is he who you think they plan to replace you with?"

"Yes. He has no care for the Clan, only the power and the position it can give him. He is more arrogant than most others if you ask me."

Naruto chuckled, "Well assuming I even consider this, what's in it for me?"

"The most I can offer you is money, some Clan scrolls and my daughters' safety."

"Hmm… Interesting… And tempting. I did make Neji that promise during the Chunin exams that I would get rid of that damn seal when I became Hokage… Still, not only is it a dangerous task you are asking of me because of the long term implications but for you as well."

"I know the Hyuga Clan may be in turmoil for some time but I believe that the long term benefits for both the Hyuga Clan and Konoha are worth the risk."

"Then I will kill the Hyuga Elders in exchange for the abolishment of the Caged Bird Seal and the support or neutrality of the Hyuga Clan. Hinata's hand and heart are hers to give to whom she wishes."

Hiashi pulled out a scroll and held it out to Naruto who took it.

"Agreed."

* * *

- Flashback Kia -

Naruto rushed forward, ducking under a Juken strike before stabbing the Elder with his wrist-blade. At the same time, four Drones dropped from the ceiling and grabbed three Elders and Hinata's grandfather and disappeared in clouds of smoke as two tails broke through, stabbing another two Elders through the stomach and another two Elders were pulled below the floor.

Just as Naruto pulled his blades out, he shot a plasma bolt from his plasma caster which was blocked by a Kaiten but at the start of the rotation, Naruto had already leap up above the defending Elder and used a Rasengan to break through the chakra sphere killing the Elder as another was finished off with a tongue strike to the forehead.

In less than a minute, the Hyuga Elders Council was no more. Naruto sent the rest of his Drones away and walked out of the Elder hall into a training ground when a voice stopped him.

"I really should thank you for getting rid of those old fossils, now the Hyuga Clan will be mine."

Naruto turned around and noticed a male Hyuga about a year or two younger than him with an arrogant smirk on his face that would put the old Sasuke to shame.

"Hatori, I presume."

Instead of answering, Hatori shot forward, reaching out to end the fight quickly by shutting down the Tenketsu around the first chakra gate to knock the blonde out. Unfortunately, the young Namikaze tilted to the left, avoiding the strike, grabbed the Hyuga by the forearm, spun on his heel, and threw him towards one of the training posts. Hatori controlled the momentum of his body to land on top of the training post.

What he saw next confused the Hyuga. Naruto threw a kunai past the Hyuga and lodged into a tree. Hatori bolted towards the blonde again, intent on actually striking the Namikaze. Naruto circled around the training field, leading the Hyuga after him.

Hatori was getting irritated by the blonde. It seemed as if Naruto was making a fool out of the Hyuga. Naruto threw two more kunai after dodging six Jyuken strikes. The two kunai lodged themselves in the dirt, six feet from each other; this was soon followed by another three kunai which Hatori dodged.

"You have lousy aim but that is to be expected."

"Hmph. Is that so?" Naruto smirked under his mask, "Did you expect this?" Naruto threw another kunai and ran through a series of hand seal, "Lightning Style: Chain Lightning!"

Hatori kept charging forward and was about to dodge under the kunai, when he noticed that the lightning whip was heading for the kunai instead of him, this set off alarm bells in his head and he jumped back. The lightning hit the kunai causing it to explode but the lightning did not stop instead it traveled towards another previously thrown kunai next to his feet, the kunai had an explosive tag on it.

"Damn!" Hatori jumped out of the way as the lightning detonated the kunai as it headed for another again forcing Hatori to flip out of the way again and again as the lightning chain set off the explosives which finally caught Hatori.

The smoke cleared to see the scorched and unconscious form of Hatori, Naruto approached the prone form but before he knew it, "You're within my divination. Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms! Two palms! Four palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-two Palms! Sixty-four Palms!" As Naruto hit the ground, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. "A Shadow clone?"

* * *

- ANBU Headquarters -

"SHIT!" An ANBU with an Eagle mask decked back behind a corner as a fireball flew by.

"What's the situation?" asked Neko as she appeared next to Eagle.

"A couple of the enemies have secured themselves in the main armory and we can't get close enough to attack without blowing the whole armory up."

"Damn that's bad. But we have to clear out headquarters; we need to help the rest of Konoha."

"Understood, but I can't get a clear shot."

They looked up across the corridor and noticed a ROOT ANBU appear behind another friendly ANBU before being pounced on and ripped apart by three Drones.

"Shit! How did they get in?"

Eagle and Neko turned around just in time to see another ANBU turned traitor get tackled to the ground by two Drones before being leap on by Naruto who stabbed his wrist-blades through the mask's eyeholes. They stared into the mask eyes of Naruto which flashed for a second and took aim with his Plasma-caster.

"Wait!" Neko held her hands up to show that they were not going to attack him. "We're on your side."

"You don't know which side I'm on." Naruto got up and walked over to them, retracting his blades. "What's happening?"

"The last of the traitors are in the main armory. We can't get close enough to attack them even if it means blowing up the whole armory."

"I understand." Naruto seem to stare off for a moment but soon the remaining ANBU felt the slight rumbling of a large group of Xenomorphs heading for them.

The ANBU stared in horror and shock at the number of Xenos that had made it into the building without them noticing. They looking like an unstoppable wave as they ran along the wall, floor and ceiling, streaming towards the armory. The entrenched ninja started throwing kunai with exploding tags and jutsu to stop the tide. While they did kill and maim a few of them, it did not stop the flow. Naruto aimed a plasma grenade and threw it in to the stream of Xenos. If the Xeno that was carrying the grenade was stopped, it would be picked up by another and carried forward. One of the Xenos managed to jump into the armory and dropped the grenade before it and the others disappeared in puffs of smoke.

"Fire in the hole." Naruto pushed the detonator before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"HIT THE DECK!"

Everyone ducked for cover as the plasma grenade went off and set off the explosive tags and other volatile materials that were stored in there.

"Shit. He took care of the traitors but he blew the main armory to hell too."

"Yes and most of the secondary armories have already been cleaned out. I hope this doesn't come back and bite us in the ass."

* * *

In a modest one-story home, a Chunin was rushing his family to grab their things so that they could head to safety when he felt a presence behind him.

"What do you want?" The Chunin demanded and drew a kunai and got between Naruto and his family.

Naruto took off his mask and stared at the Chunin, "Your life."

"Na… Namikaze-sama." The Chunin dropped his kunai and fell to his knees which caused Naruto to raise his eyebrows but he extended both his wrist-blades and approached the Chunin.

"I am sorry Namikaze-sama… I know it is of little consequence but I am truly sorry for everything I have done and I am at your mercy but please I beg you spare my family."

"DADDY!"

"DARLING!"

A woman and a young girl ran over to the man.

"Please don't hurt my daddy!"

"Please I'll do anything, just don't hurt my husband and daughter."

"Yumi! Yuki! Please just leave."

"Tell them what you did."

"I… I… I was one of those that saw Namikaze-sama as the Demon instead of the jailor and… and sometimes would join in the mobs in beating him. I almost killed him a few times…" He hung his head in shame.

Yumi kneed in front of Naruto and bowed as low as she could, "Please Namikaze-sama spare my husband. I know he's done you wrong but he's a good man and father. Please spare him and I will do whatever you want."

"YUMI!"

Just as Naruto was able to say something, two ROOT members broke through the door and window but were sent flying back out courtesy of two Predator Shurikens.

Naruto retracted his blades and headed out the door, "Head to the Hokage's tower. All ninja still loyal to the Hokage and Konoha are to report to the tower. Bring your family, they will be protected."

The husband and wife bowed and thanked Naruto for his mercy as he checked the bodies and retrieved the shurikens.

"Hmph. Just a pair of lower ranking members not even on the list." He took out his Bingo Book and tore out a page and crushed it before throwing it away.

"**You did the right thing Kit."**

"That's a surprise coming from you fox."

"**Well the last one was a little iffy but this guy was alright. I'm sure your mates would approve."**

"THEY'RE NOT MY MATES!"

"**Keep telling yourself that Kit. Keep telling yourself that."** The fox laughed.

"Very funny fox. Laugh…" Naruto stopped as he received information from one of his clones and smiled, "It looks like I might get those eyes after all."

* * *

- Hyuga Compound -

Hatori stood in the middle of the main court yard of the Hyuga Compound; he had spent the last several minutes fending off a few Drones. It was impossible for him to land a decisive blow on any of them since he could not see their tenketsus but since they were in the open, he was at least able to see their silhouettes using his Byakkugan so it made it harder for them to attack him from behind. As Hatori prepared for another attempt by the beasts to defeat him, he noticed that they relaxed and showed no attempt to try and attack again.

"So you're the prized bitch of the Hyuga Elders. Not very impressive."

"You dare mock me?" Hatori screamed at Naruto's words. However, they fell of deaf ears, as thirty copies of Naruto materialized from out of thin air, encircling their prey. Another Naruto, supposedly the real one, rose from the ground in front of Hatori.

"So you decided to show yourself and face me like a man instead of a coward."

"I am a Shinobi, plain and simple."

"A coward is more appropriate."

"This is why no Hyuga had ever been Hokage especially if they are all like you."

"SILENCE YOU WORTHLESS DEMON! NO ONE IS BETTER THAN A HYUGA ESPECIALLY ME!"

"Hmph." Naruto smirked under his mask, "We'll see."

Hatori growled and got into a stance while Naruto just stood there, the two combatants stood for a moment before the silence was broken when from all sides, the clones threw two kunais at Hatori.

"Kaiten!" Hatori cried out as he began to spin rapidly like a top. It was lucky that he was able to activate his defensive Ninjutsu because upon contact, the kunais all exploded, revealing the explosive tags that were on their handles. When the smoke cleared, Hatori was panting hard and parts of his clothes were singed from the heat that blasted him, even if the damage was stopped, but he noticed immediately that Naruto had not moved at all and neither had his clones except for throwing the kunais.

"Is that the best you got?"

Suddenly there was movement under him but before Hatori could react, another Naruto busted through the ground and with a hard uppercut reminiscent of the one he gave Neji during the Chunin Exam, only harder, sending the Hyuga skyward. The clones moved into action with two of them kicking Hatori in the back, one after the other, sending him up higher followed up by the rest clones performing his slightly modified Uzumaki Namikaze Rendan which bounced their target in the air like a pinball before the last Naruto grabbed Hatori by the throat and slammed him into the ground. When the dust cleared, the Naruto that rose from the ground earlier disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Naruto on top of Hatori still holding his throat spoke, "Some Hyuga you are, falling for the same trick I pulled on Neji years ago but still since you are the pride of the former Hyuga Elders Council, I'll still claim my prize." Naruto sat down on the Hyuga's chest pinning his arms to his side and drew a kunai. Naruto forced open his prey's eye and brought a kunai close to his face.

"Don't worry. This won't hurt me one bit."

"AAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

- ROOT Headquarters -

Naruto appeared in front of one of the few entrances that led to the ROOT's headquarters and kicked down the door which flew off its hinges into a gigantic room full of battling Shinobi. Looks like the regular Black Ops managed to spare some men to assault Danzo and his laggies. At the far end of the room, was Danzo, who had an icy look about his face.

"Kill them." He commanded.

Additional ROOT ANBU surged forward, not concerned at all that Danzo had stepped back into the shadows and disappeared. Naruto glared as he saw Danzo make his escape and knew it would not be possible to get to him in time with the battling Shinobi standing between him and his target. He watched as the combat hardened ninjas let loose more jutsus then he could count. Fire jutsu here, crisply done Shinobi, Wind jutsu here, cut up Kunoichi, Lightning jutsu thrown in one direction, knocked out and dead ninja on the ground. Water jutsu crushed more than a few ninjas and Earth jutsu blocked fire jutsus.

Naruto continued to watch the fighting, waiting for his Xenos to arrive but as he was waiting, a ROOT ANBU decided to try and take him out. Naruto blocked the sword strike with his black katana and before the ROOT member knew what happened. a tail strike went through his stomach and out his back from the Warrior that Naruto switched with.

Naruto appeared in the middle of the makeshift arena, flashing through some hand seals, "Hidden Mist no Jutsu!" When the mist covered the area, he made his move. "Move! Earth Style: Earth Lotus!" A lotus of earth and stone bloomed around Naruto, catching six ROOT ninjas who were too close to him. The stone turned bloody as they were impaled but he was not finished, the stone shards that formed the lotus separated and shot in every direction taking out a few more ninjas.

Naruto stood there as a large group of his Xenos rushed into the room and started to attack all the ROOT ANBU. Naruto watched as his Angels of death tore through the enemy forces like a hot knife through butter.

An ANBU Captain looked on coldly at the corpses he had made from the living. He killed another with a Fire Jutsu from his hands, a useful technique he had learnt in war. He finished the last ROOT ANBU, who was shaking while holding a wakazashi. He ended him with a fist to the throat, cutting off his air supply.

He approached Naruto, "Thank you for your help, we will continue searching the complex and report anything to the Hokage."

Naruto nodded and walked off, he did not care for what the Black Ops may find, he has whatever information he need about Danzo and ROOT though he would like to know more and he doubted that they will find out more than he knows. Naruto was about to dispel himself when a hidden surviving ROOT threw a left hook, almost catching Naruto in the face but he ducked and countered with a round house kick from a crouching position, The ROOT blocked, jumped back and started to go through hand seals.

Naruto flew towards him before he could complete his jutsu and threw a kick to the chin, but his target dodged. The ANBU tried to catch Naruto off guard with a side thrust kick to the spine but he vaulted over the leg and landed a roundhouse kick to his opponent's head. The force sent the ANBU to the ground causing a crater around his body. Naruto let loose a fireball that would burn the fool that tried to ambush him to ashes; he stared at the spot where Danzo was before he made his escape, then turned away. "Next time Danzo, next time." Naruto said to himself before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

- Hokage Tower -

Tsunade made her way to the roof of the Tower and look over the village, many parts were on fire and she could still see shinobi fighting with each other though she did not know who was on whose side since most were just regular Konoha shinobi and not ROOT. The thought alone made her clench her hands hard enough to crush the metal railings.

"Tsunade."

She turned around and saw her so-called advisors standing there with a dozen ROOT ANBU protecting them.

"Well. Well. Well. The traitors have decided to show up."

"Watch your tongue Tsunade!" scolded Koharu.

"We are not traitors Tsunade. We are doing what is best for Konoha."

"BEST FOR KONOHA! You two really are senile, does this look like what's best for Konoha?" Tsunade gestured to the village behind her.

"We have to do what is necessary to remain the strongest! If you have just listened to us, this could have all be avoided!"

"Yes." agreed Homura, "You should have just refused to give the Jinchūriki the Yondaime's assets and forced him to fight for us."

"His name is Naruto and those are his birth right. And you are fools, he has enough of those things to reduce Konoha into a wasteland and you want to fight him. Are you arrogant or most like just arrogant AND senile."

"We could have forced him into submission!"

"And this is the nightmare you would have faced."

Just as Tsunade said that, hundreds of Drones started to crawl down the face of the Hokage Mountain and ran towards the shocked Elders and their protectors. The ANBU fought hard and managed to kill many of the Drones but were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number and mounting injuries. They were torn apart mercilessly.

Koharu and Homura tried to back away from the Drones but were caught from behind and forced to their knees. Most of the Drones either ran off or dismissed themselves leaving only a dozen of them. The three humans watched as Naruto rose from the floor and walked towards them, removing his mask as he got closer.

"Well if it isn't the Hokage's advisors and the fools who thought they were all powerful."

"You arrogant brat!"

"Watch yourself you old bitch."

"What did you call me!"

"A senile old bitch and that is what you are."

"How dare you talk to us like that?"

With a nod of his head, the Warrior holding Homura shot its tongue through his shoulder causing him to scream in pain.

"I dare because you are beneath me. You thought you were all powerful and untouchable now look at you, on your knees before me."

"The loyal ninjas of Konoha will stop you."

"Wrong. The ninjas loyal to you and Danzo have fled or are dead. You have lost."

"Then what are you going to do? Hand us over to the Hokage?"

"No. I have no allegiance to this village. No, you're going to die. Slowly and painfully by my hands."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAAAAAAHHHHH!" Homura screamed as the Drone ripped off his already injured arm.

Koharu was going to say something but was interrupted when two barbed tails tore through her thighs.

"Yes I can and not even Tsunade can stop me. Funny thing is before I was forced out of this village, I would have forgiven each and every one of you without a second thought but now I realize that some people aren't worth forgiving or redeeming."

"De… Demon."

"No I am not a demon but you're about to meet one." With that, he grabbed their foreheads.

* * *

- Mindscape -

"Where… where are we?" Homura asked as they got back to their feet, ignoring the fact that they were no longer on the roof of the Hokage Tower or that he had both arms again.

The two Elders stood in the ankle deep waters of the sewer that was the previous décor of Naruto's mindscape and started to walk till they saw the giant gates with the seal-tag on it. They were about to step back when an unseen force threw them forward.

"This is my mind." They turned back towards the gates and saw Naruto standing before them. With a snap of his fingers, the seal-tag on the gates disappeared and the gates started to open and Kyuubi stepped forward. "And for the next seventy-two hours…"

"**YOUR ASSES BELONG TO US!"** Kyuubi roared and lunged at the Sandaime's former teammates. Both Kyuubi and Naruto enjoyed their screams of terror.

* * *

- Real World -

Tsunade watched helplessly wondering what was going on neither Naruto or the Elders have even moved an inch still Naruto put his hands on them. She was about to take a step forward when suddenly both the Elders started screaming in terror and pain before falling to the ground with foam coming out of their mouths, their expressions and eyes still locked in terror and silent screams. Naruto came out of his trance and created four Shadow clones.

"String'em up!" Naruto ordered.

The clones cheered as two of them jumped onto a pillar on either end of the roof and shot a spike into it and attached a metal wire to them while another clone brought the Elders to them.

"NARUTO WAIT!" Tsunade tried to move forward but the Drones moved to block her. Seeing no other alternative, she flared her chakra and hoped that help would arrive in time.

Clones tied the wire tightly around the necks of the Elders just as the Konoha 11, their senseis and Shizune appeared and were frozen in place when they saw Naruto's clones throw the Elders off the pillars and the abrupt stop that snapped their necks. The chill that went down their spines when Naruto broke out laughing was unlike anything they had ever experience.

"Two down. One to go."

At this time ,Tonton had ran up the stairs and towards Naruto but stopped in its track when it saw Naruto and ran to Shizune when a Runner appeared in front of her. Everyone watched as Naruto crossed out another two entries in his book and quickly ran through it.

"Excellent. Most of the targets are dead though the big fish is yet to be fried and Konoha is in flames. Just as I'd hope."

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!" Tsunade yelled, she did not want to believe what she was hearing.

"Exactly what I said Hokage." Everyone winced at that especially Tsunade. "The Bingo Book was never meant to be published outside of Konoha, it as well as the information I gave and allowed you to gather was meant to be leaked/given to Danzo and the Council."

"But… But why?" Tsunade asked.

"Look around you. Hahaha… This is why!"

"No… No way." Shizune fell to her knees holding Tonton tightly to her chest.

Hinata felt faint and started to sway but was steadied by Kiba who could not believe what Naruto was saying.

"You revealing my heritage was not something that I had expected but it had a very welcomed result."

"You… You planned this all along didn't you Naruto?" Shikamaru started to put together the pieces.

"You all thought I was the same old idiot I was before I left didn't you? Of course I took a gamble that you would still considered me enough of a friend or possible ally to stay on my side but even if you didn't, I was banking on your difference of opinions with Danzo and his supporters to cause a rift."

"A rift that you used to push us to the point of civil war. Iwa wasn't just some random target was it? You knew that we would most likely send some of our ninja to secure what was left, weakening our defensives even further. Didn't you?" accused Shikamaru while the others had looks of disbelief that not only had Naruto planned everything but that he carried it out with obvious success.

"Yes. Iwa is the furthest Hidden Village from here."

"But you promised not to attack Konoha till this war was over!" Kurenai shouted.

"I never attacked Konoha itself, did I? In fact, just moments ago I was defending it or at least your side." Naruto gave them a sinister smile that sent shivers down everyone's spine. "Weren't you just lucky that almost everyone I wanted to kill was against you?"

Naruto laughed an evil laugh before biting his thumb and slammed both his hands on the floor beside him.

TBC

Chapter 13 - Konoha's Fate

B/N:  
The story so far looked pretty good to me. Naruto was scary before, but he's kinda terrifying right now. I like~ XD

A/N:  
While the main focus of this chapter was Naruto finally getting his revenge on most of his targets and his plan coming to fruition, I thinked to show that he still has some humanity left in him.

Below is a little idea I had recently, it's not a trailer more like a teaser cos I have absolutely no idea what to do with so I just put this idea to 'paper' so that it would stop bothering me. It's kind of a Mortal Combat crossover but just the ability. Enjoy.

* * *

It was a dark night on October 10th in the city of Konoha., nine years had passed since the Fourth Hokage had sacrificed himself to seal the Kyuubi no Kitsune into the belly of a newborn baby boy. That boy, one Naruto Uzumaki, was a thin boy with bright sun-kissed blond hair, bright cerulean blue eyes, and a trio of whisker-like markings on each of his cheeks and he was currently running for his life from an angry mob.

It's time for the unofficial annual 'Fox Hunt' as those who dared take part in the legal activity called it. Though there were other times they could chase the living reminder of the death and destruction brought about by the fox, this was the best time because of the reduced security around the fox reincarnate. Eventually, the mob was able to corner the boy in an alley and started to beat him with everything they had, all the while hurling insults at him.

Finally an ANBU who was supposed to be on the boy's protection detail, stepped forward and the rest of the mob stepped back. As the apparent leader raised his katana to finish the boy off, all the poor beaten boy could do was wait for his death to come. That was last thing he saw before he blacked out and woke up in a sewer.

**"Come to me, kit."**

Naruto walks down the tunnels, following the sound of the voice calling to him till he reaches a set of massive gates with a sealing tag in the middle with the kanji 'Seal' on it. The cage looked empty till a giant fox with a menacing aura stepped forward into the light.

**"I have an offer for you."**

* * *

Naruto woke up and saw the ANBU in the same position as before, he crawled forward and pulled himself up using the ANBU as support. All this time the ANBU looked down in amusement.

"Aww. Is the little demon brat going to cry?"

"No." Naruto's head snapped up and the look in his eyes froze the ANBU to his very soul, "But… YOUR SOUL IS MINE!"

The mob watched in fascinated horror as the demon brat pulled the ghostly visage of the ANBU out of his body and started to absorb it into his hand. His injuries started to heal before their very eyes as the soulless body fell to the ground.

"None of you will live to see sunrise."

* * *

"I hope you don't mind if I borrow your sword, Zabuza. Not that you can stop me anyway." Naruto ignored the grunt from the critically injured man as he lifted the massive sword with one hand and held it to his side.

"None of you will leave this bridge alive."

The bandits and Gato started to sweat in fear, as if they were looking at the Grim Reaper himself.

"I will be merciful to you my brother and end this quickly." Naruto lifted Gaara up by his neck as the audience watched, only those from Konoha knew what was about to happen, "Your Soul, is mine!"

Naruto dropped Gaara to the ground as the sand started to swirl around Naruto; Temari and Kankuro and the rest of the Suna ninja felt a glimmer of hope that Gaara was still alive though for different reasons but that hope was soon crashed by Naruto.

"Interesting ability. Sand Shuriken!" He sent two fuma-style sand shurikens towards a tree, cutting it into three before sending another torrent of sand to crush another tree just like Gaara's Sand Coffin.

* * *

"I am the Reaper."


	13. Konoha's Fate

Disclaimer: I don't own AVP or Naruto. If I did this would be how the series would be.

A/N:  
Hey guys, I back with the latest installment of this fic. Hope you enjoy it.

Uber Ghidorah: I didn't get a chance to read part 2 of Batman Vs Alien so I can't comment there but I did get to read Batman Vs Alien 2 and liked it but I have no intentions right now for using genetically altered Xenos... yet. I don't want to give away too much. Hope you stick around.

I'm really really surprised at the response for my little trailer, I can't promise when it will be started cause I got nothing concrete and I really intend to finish ALL my fics so I don't want to start to many fics/projects. There are already a couple of fics that have not been up-dated for years. I'd like to finish at least 1 or 2 more (including this 1) before starting a new fic, not counting the 1 below.

Now on with the story.

* * *

- Hive, Empress Chamber -

The Empress roared and stood up tearing the external womb away from her as she did. She now stood almost five feet taller then her original height, her tail was longer by almost four feet, excluding the large barb, her secondary arms on her chest were now stronger and had larger claws and though she was larger than before, she was actually faster and more agile than before.

The Queen was an egg laying machine with good defensive and offensive capabilities able to hold her own against most opponents though preferring to leave the fighting to her guards and Drones but the Empress was in a league of her own and soon disappeared in a cloud of white puff.

* * *

- Hokage Tower, Roof -

The Konoha nin, even the Hokage, all stepped back in fear as a loud roar was heard. They were not the only ones that heard the roar; all over Konoha, many stopped what they were doing and looked towards the source of the terrifying roar. Those that were there at the Hive when she was first 'unveiled' could not believe that she was here. Out of the smoke, the Empress stepped forward stopping behind Naruto, every step intentionally heavy.

"Oh kami-sama…" Shizune stepped back in fear.

Even to those who had seen the Empress before were in awe at her standing in all her glory. Tsunade and the Jounins had to swallow lumps in their throats and everyone started to get even more nervous when a dozen Praetorians stepped out next to the leaders of the Hive.

Tsunade backed away from the Xenos and Naruto but before she could voice any of her thoughts, five ROOT ANBU leap onto the roof, one from either side of the Hive Leaders and three more from behind them but before anyone could react, two of the Praetorians disappeared and reappeared in front of the two flanking Ne members, one with a clawed hand through his stomach and other without his head.

"Fast." Was the thought that went through most that were present.

"They're almost as fast as Lee without his weights," thought the members of Team Gai.

The remaining three jumped towards the Empress', katanas drawn, ready to stab and slash at her but without even turning around, the Empress used her tail to skew them from the side, tearing them in half; only the middle attacker avoided the attack by shifting her weight in mid-air. The Empress turned her head to her attacker and withdrew her face under her protective crest just as the ROOT member tried to stab the Empress, only for the katana to break into three. Before she could do anything, her arms and legs were grabbed by the Empress' arms and ripped apart. She fell to the ground limb-less and screaming before the Empress crashed her with a stomp that left cracks in the floor.

All the while, Naruto did not take his eyes off the gathered Konoha nin whose eyes grew wider with shock as the short one-sided fight progressed and turned green at the end of it, much to his amusement. Hinata fainted into Shino's arms while Kiba and Choji threw up over the railing. For a moment, no one moved as the Empress turned back to face the group till an ANBU appeared kneeing in front of Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, the situation is under control; all rioters and traitors have either been caught or dealt with but…"

"But what?"

"I think you better turn around and take a look for yourself."

The group did as suggested and a lump grew in their throats, as far as the eye could see even the Byakugan, not a single building did not have at least one Xenomorph on it. Konoha was completely at Naruto's mercy.

"What are we going to do, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked nervously.

"Nothing." Everyone looked shock except for Shikamaru, Shino and the ANBU who all came to the same conclusion. "There's nothing we can do, isn't that right gaki?"

Naruto gave them a sinister smile, "I guess you aren't as senile as I call you."

Tsunade held her tongue, there was no telling what Naruto would do to them, there was still a chance if they played their cards right, "So what will you do now, Naruto?"

Everyone swallowed the lumps that they did not know they had but even as the sinister smile disappeared, leaving him with a neutral expression, it did not help the nervousness they felt.

"I'll be heading back to my family compound for lunch," Naruto stated nonchalantly.

The gathered ninja fought the urge to sweat-drop or face-palm.

"WHAT!"

"What? Would you prefer I finish what I started?" Naruto raised his hand his fingers in a snapping position.

"NO!" Everyone yelled and waved their arms even Shino.

"I thought so." Naruto lowered his hand and noticed that besides the sighs of relief, some of them still looked confused, "You seem confused so let me explain, while I want the village in flames, I never wanted it wiped off the map unless of course there was no one left that I hold dear. I intended to cripple Konoha to the point where it would make it difficult for you to prevent me from going after my targets and to knock the rest of the villagers down a peg or two."

"Is that why you protected the Ichirakus and the Chunin guards at the main gates?" the ANBU asked.

"Yes. The Ichirakus go without saying, Izumo and Kotetsu have always been civil to me, even laughing at my pranks. They are amongst the few I protected today."

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU TORCH HALF OF KONOHA!" Tsunade yelled finally losing her temper.

"I told you, one, to knock the villagers down a peg or two and two, if those same villagers want me to be a demon then I will give them a demon," Naruto hissed causing a few of the ninjas to flinch, "But mostly it was what old man Hokage told me once."

Everyone looked intrigued as Naruto turned towards the Hokage Mountain and smiled at the face of the Sandaime.

"Konoha bears the Will of Fire but sometimes the fire burns dim because of complicity, it is only during times of hardship and turmoil that those who bear the true Will of Fire will burn brightly and a new stronger generation will grow."

Naruto gave a hard look at the group, "Konoha has grown weak from corruption even if you had won the war. The events that took place today would have happened anyway; whether by me or by someone else, it doesn't matter. What matters now Konoha, is do you bear the Will of Fire strong enough to survive or will you perish." With that, every Xeno disappeared in clouds of white smoke, followed by Naruto in a tornado of fire and burning leaves.

* * *

The girls of the Konoha 11 were making their way to the Namikaze Compound, their hearts pounding against their ribcages. It was almost dinner and they haven't seen Naruto around since he disappeared from the Hokage Tower but of course they had spent most of the day helping with the wounded and/or securing the village.

It was decided that the girls would talk to Naruto since they seem to have better luck with him which led to a perverted comment from Kiba which earned him a couple of hits including two chakra enhanced ones from Sakura and Tsunade putting him in the hospital. They had no objective, for a lack of a better description, this was a social call.

As the compound came into view, Tenten suddenly raised her arms to stop the group, "Wait!"

"What's wrong Tenten?" Hinata asked.

Tenten just ignored the rest of the group, "We're not here to cause any trouble. We just want to talk to Naruto-kun."

The rest of the group gave her weird looks before they grew nervous when four Praetorians walked into view. For a moment no one moved, they knew they did not stand a chance against the Praetorians, they were just too fast and only Sakura could match them in strength. After a moment, the Xeno-guards moved back into the shadows, unseen and undetected.

The group sighed before Sakura asked the question that was on everybody's mind, "How did you know that they were there, Tenten?"

"Well if you think about it, a group of Angels are never too far away from Naruto and also I just knew they were there, it's like I felt them. I guess my bond with them had grown stronger."

"Huh?"

"Well Naruto-kun told me that once I signed the Xeno contract, a psychic bond would form between me and the rest of the Hive," Tenten explained as they continued to walk towards the compound, "And as time pass and I train more with the Angels I'll understand them better and know where they are at all times. Naruto-kun said there were other things I would gain but said he'd tell me another time."

The girls continued to have idle chit chat to try and soothe their nerves as the Namikaze compound came into view with dozens of Warriors sitting along the outer walls like gargoyles, unmoving and ever watchful. Just as Sakura was about to knock on the doors, they opened by themselves. The girls nervously walked in, not knowing which Naruto they would meet but as the group walked through the front doors they were in awe of what they saw.

"Whoa."

"I could get used to living here."

"This place is bigger than the Hyuga main house."

"Now this is what I'm talking about. This place has lady's touch all over it."

"Well don't get use to it."

The girls turned towards the main staircase leading down to the hall where they were and blushed when they saw that Naruto was not dressed in his usual outfits but regular blue jeans and a light orange sweater, even in such normal clothes, Naruto cuts a dashing figure.

"Evening ladies. What can I do for you this lovely evening?"

"Err…" The girls were stumped.

"Well I guess since you're here you can join me for dinner."

Dinner was a light affair though Naruto could still feel the tension in the air but thankfully that started to ease as dinner progressed. Hinata informed the group that her father was in the hospital suffering some serious but not permanent or life threatening injuries and that her sister was looking after him right now. Sakura and Ino filled them in on the injuries in the hospital including a Hyuga prisoner who seemed to be insane and had his eyes removed causing Hinata to shiver; they missed the smirk that Naruto gave but did not need to ask to know what Naruto added to his trophy collection.

Before the girls took their leave, Naruto called out to Hinata, "Oh Hinata-chan, before you leave, I got some things for you to take back."

"Take what back?"

"Summoning jutsu!" Naruto slammed his hand on the floor creating a large white cloud which cleared to reveal eight Hyuga standing there, each with a Warrior holding on to them before letting go.

"GRANDFATHER!" Hinata ran and hugged her grandfather.

"Oh Hinata. I'm so glad you're safe."

"Hinata-sama." The other Hyuga greeted.

"I hope you found your stay at the Hive pleasant."

The Hyugas finally took notice of Naruto and stood straight before bowing to the master of the house.

"Thank you for saving us and for your hospitality, Namikaze-sama."

"Think nothing of it. I was merely holding up my end of the bargain."

"Bargain?" Hinata looked confused.

"That's between your father and me. It's not my place to tell you."

"Alright. Night Naruto-kun." With that, Hinata gave him a kiss on the cheek followed by Tenten, Sakura and Ino.

* * *

- Hokage Tower, Hokage's Office -

Naruto was currently sitting in the Hokage's chair looking around the office. He had left his compound after breakfast and made his way over to the Hokage Tower. The streets were deserted since the village was in lockdown after yesterday's attempted revolt. Only a few ninjas could be seen running around the village roofs. When he entered Tsunade's office, he found that she was out and decided to take a seat in the Hokage's chair; it's not the first time he sat in the chair, old man Sarutobi let him sit in it plenty of times.

Before he could get caught up in his musings, Tsunade and Shizune entered the office, "What are you doing in my chair, gaki?"

"Just reminiscing, baa-chan." With that, Naruto melted into a liquid-like shadow and reformed in the chair facing the Hokage's chair.

"That's an interesting ability you have Naruto. There have been some mentions of you being able to use shadows as a weapon. I didn't think there was any Nara blood in your family tree."

"Hahaha… There isn't." Seeing the confused looks of the two women he continued, "Darkness, the ability to control shadows and the very darkness that surrounds us is one of the celestial elements. What the Nara Clan has is a watered down version of what I have passed down through the generations."

"But if you have no relationship to the Nara, how?" Shizune asked.

"Kyuubi." Tsunade answered.

"Got it in one, baa-chan. Kyuubi made it so that not only do I have the five basic elements…"

"YOU HAVE ALL FIVE ELEMENTIAL AFFINITIES?"

"Yes I do. Now as I was saying not only do I have the five main elements and one celestial but any children I have in the future will gain them as well."

"So you have a bloodline now?"

"I guess since it is pretty much guaranteed that any kids I have will have my genetic affinities."

"Naruto-kun, what are celestial elements?"

"Maybe another time Shizune-chan."

Just as Tsunade was about to push for an answer, the girls of the Konoha 11, Sasuke and Neji busted through the door to the office.

"Tsunade-shisho, we have a problem."

"What is it Sakura?"

"There is a large group of Oto, Kuso and Iwa ninja heading our way, they just appeared out of nowhere and they out-number us four to one." Neji reported.

"Shizune get me every available Chunin, Jounin and ANBU we have. Now!"

"It's no good." Shizune looked distressed, "We only have two ANBU teams available right now, there's no way they can face a force of that size."

Just as all hope seemed lost, some of the ninjas started to turn towards Naruto but he beat them to the punch and stood up, "Well I guess I'll be leaving then."

"WHAT!"

"This is not my fight."

Naruto got up and headed for the door but was blocked by the girls who had pleading looks on their faces.

"Please Naruto, you can't leave us now, we need you."

"Naruto-kun please, my father's in the hospital and my sister won't be able to defend herself."

"Naruto please." He turned to face Tsunade, "More than half our remaining ninja forces are in the hospital or dead. We don't have enough people to defend Konoha and there is no way to get reinforcements from Suna in time."

"Tenten can summon the Angels if she needs to." He walked towards the window and looked out to the village that was his home and personal Hell for most his life.

"Please Naruto-kun, I can't summon as many of them as you can."

"Naruto-kun." He turned to look at Sakura, the same hard look in his eyes the day they found him. "I know you don't care about this village, maybe even hate it but there are a lot of good people here and they don't deserve to die and they're counting on us to defend them."

"What about all the people you care about? Don't you… care about us?" Ino yelled but her voice grew softer till the last part was barely a whisper.

Naruto placed his mask back as his shadow started to envelop him, "I'll think about it," he stated and disappeared.

"Can we win without him Tsunade-sama?"

"I don't know Shizune, his plan to cripple Konoha was brutally effective. But I think if he doesn't help, all of you here should make plans to… evacuate Konoha."

* * *

- Hokage Tower, Roof -

Naruto reappeared on the roof of the Hokage Tower and looked around, the bodies of the Elders had long since been removed but parts of the cable that were used to hang them ever still there, swaying in the wind. He walked over to the railing and looked over the village, it wasn't the first time he had seem the village from this view, he'd seen it from here plenty of times. He smiled a little at that thought, back when he wanted to be Hokage and protect this… his village. Was this still his village? He'd already gotten his revenge, mostly, only Danzo was left and he was not in the village anymore so why should he stay?

"**You still have some attachment to this place, don't you kit?"**

"Do you even need to ask?"

"**I don't get you humans and your attachments."**

"Hey, you're attached to me."

"**More like confined to you."**

"True. So what do you suggest?"

"**That is not something I can tell you. I've taught you what you need to know for the last three years, now you're at a crossroad and only you can make the decision what road to take. I just need to remind you that you still have to deal with Orochimaru, Akatsuki and that blasted Uchiha, Madara."**

"That's true…" Before he could think about this matter any further, he heard a voice that he did not notice earlier. Normally, he would curse at his lapse of attention but he had Drones around. He decided to see who else was on the roof and as he got closer he noticed a young Genin, looking up at the faces of the Hokages, talking to them.

"Don't worry grandpa, as long as I'm around, Konoha will never fall."

"Konohamaru." Naruto put on his mask before he started to take intentionally loud steps to catch the Sandiame's grandson's attention, "What are you doing up here little Genin?"

"I'm Konohamaru, the future seventh Hokage! And what I'm doing up here is none of your business!"

"The seventh. Then who's the sixth?"

"That title belongs to my boss and big brother Naruto!"

"Naruto? You mean Naruto Uzumaki? Didn't he leave this village?"

"You don't know anything about Naruto! His goal is to be Hokage and I'm his rival for the title of Hokage."

"Since he left this village and never came back, he's either a coward or doesn't give a damn."

"TAKE THAT BACK! NARUTO IS NOT A COWARD AND SAID HE WILL BE HOKAGE! BELIEVE IT!"

"Then why don't you make me."

"You asked for it." Konohamaru created a shadow clone and charged Naruto.

"I see you've perfected the Shadow Clone Jutsu." Then noticed the clone gathering chakra in Konohamaru's hand and quickly ran through few hand seals.

"Rasengan!"

"Dark Style: Shadow Wall!"

Konohamaru's Rasengan crashed against a wall of darkness that appeared in front of Naruto. Konohamaru and his clone held it against the wall trying to break through it but couldn't and collapsed to his hands and knees panting as the clone dispelled.

"I'm surprised you're able to use that technique."

"Shut up! Shut up! I'll make you take back what you said about Naruto!"

"I'm sorry Konohamaru."

Konohamaru looked up as Naruto removed his mask, revealing a gentle smile, "You've gotten stronger."

"NARUTO-ONICHAN!" Konohamaru jumped up and hugged Naruto.

* * *

- Hokage's Office -

Naruto walked through the door and found that more people had arrived at the Hokage's office, including Kakashi, Anko and an ANBU Captain. He noticed the grim looks on everyone's face which the girls, excluding Anko, looking at him with hope.

"Alright. I'll help." Everyone in the room brightened up and Tsunade was about to thank him but he cut her off, "Don't thank me yet. I expect to be paid, double S-rank pay and I want all the prisoners you have and will capture after you take whatever information you want from them. I don't care if they're in a coma or insane as long as they have a pulse, I want them."

"But… But I thought you don't need anymore hosts," Hinata asked.

"I still have eggs in storage. No point letting them go to waste."

Tsunade knew that by giving any prisoners to Naruto, she would be condemning them to death but it was either that or the death of Konoha citizens so she agreed. The girls were so happy that they could count on Naruto that they jumped and hugged him.

* * *

- Forest, 50km away from Konoha -

Kensei was a proud Oto Jounin, he was there when the Sand and Sound first tried to wipe the Leaf off the map, he was a Chunin back then and the attempt was a failure. He, like many other Oto-nins, had never forgotten the short battle and while he and many others only followed Orochimaru out of fear or for lack of any other options, they were more than willing to take another crack at the Leaf and its allies.

The combined forces had been waiting out of sight for an opportunity to strike and when word broke that there was a civil war at Konoha, they knew that now was the time to strike. They had received a report detailing that not only were Konoha ninja fighting each other, there were also strange black creatures attacking parts of Konoha, he and the others had heard a rumor about Iwa being attacked by strange black creatures but just blew them off as unproven rumors.

As his team and himself jumped through the forest, he saw the other teams from their allied village moving just as fast as they were, the entire battalion had painstakingly sneaked into Fire Country and remained hidden for more than a month waiting for the prefect opportunity to strike and nothing was going to stop them, today Konoha falls.

"AHHH!" The Oto Jounin turned to his right just in time to see an Oto shinobi impaled by some kind of barbed tail before he was lifted out of sight and into the canopy of the forest. Another short shout and the sound of sharp 'thunk' caught his attention and looked down just in time to a Kuso shinobi fall towards the ground as the same kunai that tore through him nailed another shinobi to the tree.

"WHAT THE HELL!" He watched in horror as more Drones dropped out of the canopy, intercepting the jumping ninja, some disappearing in puffs of smoke while other crushed into the ground.

The next thing he knew, he heard something that sounded like a whip crack and moved out of the way as a bolt of light flew past his head. He heard more whip cracks and saw multiple bolts fly towards different targets. Some of the slower ninjas who were unable to avoid the bolts ended up losing limbs and even their heads. There was a crack above Kensei, before a body with a smoking basketball-sized hole in its chest landed next to him before it slipped off the branch and continued towards the ground.

Kensei watched in shock as a disc-like weapon flew through the air and cut an Iwa kunoichi in half, slicing through a fully grown tree and headed towards an Iwa ANBU who tried to block the weapon with his katana but the disc broke the weapon and sliced his head clean off. The disc continued its path of destruction as it curved around, cutting more trees and careless ninjas. He followed the disc till he saw it, the figure that would be burned in his mind for the rest of his life. The figure caught the disc almost effortlessly, his black coat bellowed in the wind, his chest protected by heavy armor with something attached to his right shoulder. He had two of those black creatures flanking him. Their eyes met for a moment, the blue eyes of the man and his whisker mask, left no doubt, it was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no kitsune.

"When the hell did he return?" Kensei asked himself before he jumped out of the way of a pair of wrist-blades attached to an arm that seemed to grow out of the tree itself. "FALL BACK AND REGROUP!"

Only two dozen of his original teams answered his order and turned in time to see one of his Chunin take a spear to the chest just as an explosion slammed him into a tree. An explosive tag? But how? He did not sense any chakra. Those were his thoughts as he stood up. The last thing Kensei ever saw was a Runner pouncing on him with its tongue heading right between his eyes.

The Konoha ANBU were doing their job, taking out as many of their enemies as they could, despite the odds it was considerably easier than expected because of Naruto's creatures at their side rather than against them. At least those were Anko's thoughts as she had a couple of her snakes inject venom into the necks of a few of her captives. She took every chance she could to observe the blonde container, during the revolt she did not see him at all but caught a glimpse of his creatures in action and they were a sight to behold as long as you were not against them which for awhile she thought they were.

He was calm and cool, no wasted movement. Heck he hardly even moved but then again none of the enemy ninja were even getting close to him, she thought as she ducked a punch and gutted her attacker. From her count, they were winning, these guys were sloppy probably from hiding for so long but it didn't matter, what mattered was that they had the element of surprise on their side and the enemies numbers advantage was taken away by Naruto and his summons.

Anko and the ANBU landed in a clearing where the remaining enemy ninjas gathered to try and regroup only to stand by and watch as Naruto and his Angels leap at them and tore into their enemies like rabid Inuzukas on steroids. Some were captured alive but Anko knew they wouldn't be for long and would probably suffer a fate worse than death. The fight was quick, short and gorily like a scene out of a bad horror movie and at the end of it all, stood a lone figure in the middle of the carnage.

"That is so hot." Anko said breathlessly as she watched the bloody Naruto walk away.

* * *

- Yamanaka Residence -

It was the day after the failed sneak attack by Konoha's enemies and the village had returned to some sense of normalcy though the streets were not as crowded as they normally would be. The revolt as it was referred to now, was still fresh in the minds of the population and many still did not dare left their homes unnecessarily. No one, save for the ninjas present and the Clan-heads knew the full extent of Naruto's plan around the revolt; as far as the rest of the council and the populist were concern, Naruto had saved Konoha again.

The ninjas were obviously not afraid to walk around the village and enjoy themselves, as far as they were concerned they could die every time they when out on a mission and everyday they were alive and not on a mission was meant to be spent to the fullest. And for Sakura, spending time with her friends was one of her favorite past-times. That was why she was sitting on Ino's bed chatting it up with her best friend, the conversation was mostly light-hearted like the latest fashion and gossip till Sakura dropped a bomb on Ino.

"I confessed to Naruto-kun…"

"What? When?"

"The day of the revolt, I found him alone on the roof of the academy and well, confessed."

"What did he say?" Ino tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Well… Well he didn't get a chance to answer, the attack started right after that."

"Maybe that's fate's way of saying you two aren't meant to be together."

"No! Naruto-kun said it before, we make our only destinies and I intend to make up for every wrong I ever did to him even if I have to keep asking him out on dates like he use to or head to the Hive regularly…"

Sakura continued to talk, never noticing Ino's fists clenching tighter and tighter till, "SHUT UP!" Sakura stared at Ino in shock, not that Ino had yelled at her but that she was crying. "Shut up… You know how hard it's been? First Tenten then Hinata then you… And frankly you deserve Naruto the least after everything you've done."

"Ino what are you saying?" Sakura was hurt by Ino's words and she wanted to know why.

"I never liked Sasuke… I've always like Naruto…"

"What…"

"I never liked Sasuke even back in the Academy; I liked Naruto, he was friendly, caring, kind, determined and funny sure he was loud, obnoxious and idiot at times but I didn't care but everyone shunned him so I just watched him from afar… further than Hinata of course." She chuckled through her tears. "Then you came and ended our friendship because you thought I like Sasuke and watching Naruto fall all over himself just to get your attention, that was the last straw… if I couldn't have the boy I liked and if you were so willing to throw our friendship away, then neither could you, so I did everything I could to get Sasuke's attention even… even put down Naruto."

Sakura clutched her fists, not in anger but to try and stop her tears. She never knew Ino felt that way about Naruto and that what she said was true after everything that she done to Naruto over the years, she did deserve Naruto the least but she will be damned if she'd let him slip through her fingers again.

"I know I've done a lot of things that… that hurt Naruto over the years…" Sakura didn't care that her tears were falling; she had to get this off her chest. "I did some soul searching after Iwa and I realized that years without Naruto were almost unbearable and after everything he's done for me that he's the one I want to be with the rest of my life and even if he's not, I would spend the rest of my life making up for all my mistakes."

"You're not the only one who has a lot to make up for."

"So this is going to be like Sasuke all over again?" Sakura nodded hesitantly. "I… I don't want to lose my best friend again."

"I… don't want to either."

"Whatever happens, I still want to be your best friend, Forehead."

"Same here, Ino-pig."

"So now it's a four-way chase between you, me, Hinata and Tenten."

"Yup and we have a lot of ground to cover."

"Ya. One's pretty much in his Clan and the other's got a marriage contract and the two of us have a shit load of bad history to make up for."

"Well I already got a head start on you then, Piggy."

"Well you got more ground to make up for, Troll!"

"Porky!"

"Billboard-brow!

* * *

- Hokage Tower, Council Room -

Naruto pushed open the doors leading to the Council Chambers and saw Tsunade sitting in her chair facing him along with all the Clan-heads and the few remaining civilian Council members that were left.

"And to what do I owe this honor of meeting the Konoha Council?" Naruto asked his sarcasm obvious to everyone.

"We would like you to formally return to Konoha and establish the Uzumaki-Namikaze Clan as well as offer you the C.R.A," Tsunade explained.

"C.R.A?"

TBC

A/N:  
Now I know some of you will be complaining about how after everything Naruto still ended up helping/saving Konoha again or that it was unoriginal/predictable but what can I say I like this kind of stories. **BUT** the thought has also cross my mind about what if Naruto really decided to get revenge on Konoha so to that effect I decided to write a one-shot AU to this fic and here is a very short perview of different scenes from this fic:

* * *

- Angels of the Apocalypse: Vengeance is Mine -

Tsunade had seen many storms roll in in her life-time but this was the first time she had seen one form right before her in the middle of a sunny day with just a few clouds in the sky. She watched as dark clouds started to appear and spin around each other forming a dense spiral accompanied by sounds of thunder.

Naruto dressed in a black trench-coat with flames along the bottom, heavy torso armor with shoulder pads and dual plasma-caster stepped away from the cliff where he was watching Konoha, stepping around the corpses of the ANBU that patrolled the area he walked into a small clearing.

"It's time. Vengeance will be mine."

"DARK STORM OF THE APOCALYPSE!"

Team Gai stood back to back as more Drones arrived on the scene, bruised and cut up.

"Alright here we go." Neji said as drew his last two kunai, activated his bloodline and got into a Juken stance.

"Yosh. This will be a most interesting challenge." Lee got into a Goken stance.

"Speak for yourself." She got into a Goken stance as well.

Lee was about to attack some Drones surrounding him when a Praetorian appeared across from him and got into a stance. Curiosity sparked, Lee got into a Goken stance. In a blink of the eye Lee and the Praetorian vanished and reappeared with throwing a kick to the Praetorian's head which it blocked.

"CHIDORI!"

"Rasengan!"

The two attacks clashed with each other, both fighting for supremacy before both their wielders jumped back.

"The Rasengan? HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT JUTSU!"

"What's the matter, teme? Don't recognize your old teammate?"

"No… No way… You're not Naruto! Naruto would never do this to the village!"

"Is that so?" Naruto asked and reached up and took off the mask. "Believe me now, Sasuke?"

"Naruto… WHY! Why the hell would you do this to the village!"

"Vengeance, what else? You should know about that, don't you avenger?"

"Hmph. Fine." Naruto drew a kunai and scratched the forehead protector before putting it on, "Now it's official."

"CHIDORI!"

"Hehehe… I'm not real." Naruto smiled as more blood flowed out of his mouth.

"Huh?" Donzo looked confused.

"But this is." Naruto said before he flipped up the console on his left gauntlet causing it to start to beep and the symbols started to cycle down rapidly. "Goodbye you one-eyed fool." And Naruto started to dissolve into a puddle of mud and blood, leaving behind the console as all the symbols disappeared.

Sakura landed in Training Ground 7, in time to see two of the ANBU torn apart by the creatures and a masked figure standing over a struggling female ANBU. The figure grabbed the female ANBU by the neck, pulled off her mask and threw her behind him, into the waiting hands of a Predalien.

"Who the hell are you?"

"This place sure brings back memories." The man looked around the training ground seemingly ignoring her question.

Naruto launched a punch which she dodged but was caught in her side by a hard knee and barely dodged an up-ward diagonal slash from his wrist-blades which slashed her top. Naruto threw a Predator shuriken at her which she avoided but not without it cutting off part of her hair. Sakura charged up a chakra scalpel in each hand and rushed forward while Naruto created two black tantos and rushed forward to meet her and both started to try and cut each other apart. Sakura tried to cut Naruto's jugular vein but was stopped by Naruto crossing his blades before jumping out of the way of an abdominal strike.

She started to lose feelings in her legs as her opponent reached up and removed his mask as he was within arms reach. Sakura fell to her knees and looked up at Naruto with sad tear filled eyes. Naruto extended his wrist-blade and raised his arm above his head, seeing this Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the end to come.

"I'm… I'm sorry Naruto."

Naruto stood on top of the head of his father and watched the destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village, to the West where he saw dozens of his clones charged kunais with red energy before throwing them into the air which exploded on impact, raining death and destruction on that section of the city. Over to the East, the section of the city was ablaze, by morning there will be nothing left there but ash and scorched earth. An explosion caught his attention and he turned to the direction of the Memorial Stone. With that he shunshin'ed away and moments later a series of explodes destroyed all the faces of the Hokage mountain.

* * *

A/N:  
I would say that this (above) fic is about 75-80% deal, it currently stands at 7209 words and 18 pages. It is pretty dark and violent with possible/implied character death. My Beta says it and/or Nruto is pretty creepy. Anyway, works pretty slow and since my Scout Unit "asked me to go on vacation", I have some free time in the afternoon to work on my fics so I will try to get 'Vengence' out in 2 weeks.

Thanks for the reviews and support.


	14. I Can What?

A/N:

Hey guys, a day late but here's chapter 14. I won't be replying any of the reviews this time execpt to say thanks for reviewing and the suggestions/questions that help me refine the story as it goes along.

Another thing is that I have posted up the One-shot AU for this fic where Naruto decides to wipe out Konoha.

* * *

"C.R.A?"

"According to the Clan Restoration Act of the village of Konohagakure no Sato, which was established by the council and Nidaime-sama, the sole male survivor of a major clan of the village and/or possesses a bloodline is allowed to be married to multiple wives. Even if he is already married with children, he may take another wife to produce heirs to the clan. He is not required to consult anyone about the taking of extra wives and no one save the Hokage, the family of the woman in question or the village council."

"Let me get this straight," he said calmly. "As the last surviving male member of the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans, I can take multiple wives to restart the clan to make sure it doesn't die out. Is that correct?"

The council nodded.

"And I take it that you told them about my 'bloodline' if it can really be considered one."

"We can always get it tested," suggested a civilian council member who was a bit of a bloodline fanatic.

"I am not a lab rat." Naruto glared and leaked some killing intent.

"I'm sor… sorry, Namikaze-sama."

"Besides, chakra nature cannot really be determined through a DNA test but it is an almost 100% guarantee that any children I have will gain my affinities."

"What about your summons, Naruto-san?" Hiashi asked.

"The contract for the Xenomorphs or Angels as I call them will remain with my clan but as you know Hiashi-san, not everyone will be allowed to use it." Hiashi nodded in understanding.

"What do you mean?" Shibi asked.

"The Angels will not allow just anybody to control them; anyone I deem worthy must undergo a trial and not only survive but win. There is a high chance that there will be those not ready for the trial and will die trying but that is the price to pay."

"How do you control them?" Inoichi asked.

"Kyuubi, the bijuu were already here before the Angels and they understand the powers of the bijuu and respect them."

"So another Jinchūriki could gain control of your Summons?" Inoichi continued.

"Not anymore. Had there been another Jinchūriki who found the Hive before me then yes, in all likelihood they would have gained control but they are now bonded to me and will not serve another without my blessing. The Empress and I are the two Leaders of the Hive, I keep them in check so that they do not spread uncontrollably."

The Clan-heads nodded in understanding, Tsunade had deemed it fit to release to them the reports and accounts of all interactions with Naruto and his brood. They knew the background stories for the Xenos and the original Predators. They even knew that the only one standing between the human race and extinction is Naruto and the possible Clan he was going to build or the worst case if something were to happen to Naruto, the next in-line to maintain the balance would be Tenten Tamura, a Chunin from Team Gai. And as tempted as the old council may have been to exploit that fact, the current council was more level headed and knew Naruto was more capable of maintaining the balance for now.

"But the question is why would I want to return to Konoha?" The council tensed. "I have a good thing going, so settling down in Konoha seems like a self demotion, not to mention that I'd be putting the shackles back on...willingly... I will not bow before the whims of others." Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"We've discussed the matter broadly so while some details and specifics might need to be ironed out, other then reinstating you as a Konoha ninja, giving you the rank of Jounin as well as your clan compound and the C.R.A., we are offering you your seat in the Ninja Council which you would have gotten anyway once you were eighteen or made Jounin, three acres of land around your compound including the part of the Hokage mountain nearest to your compound so that you can set your Hive and restitution from those that have wronged you or their families if they are not around anymore." Tsunade offered.

"Hmm… That sounds decent but Suna and Wave have offered me a place and would probably offer the same thing as you have or better."

The council was silent, they knew what Naruto said was true but they did not have enough time to think of anything else they could offer the last Uzumaki and Namikaze to stay, short of offering him the Hokage title now which would not be appropriate.

"Is there anything else we can offer you to convince you to stay in Konoha?"

"Not right now actually, but tell you what, have this ANBU meet me at Training Ground 7 tomorrow at noon and if he can help me with what I need then it'll add a couple more points in your favor." Naruto handed a piece of paper to Tsunade. "You, Shizune and Kakashi are welcome to join but no one else."

* * *

- Training Ground 7 -

Naruto walked onto his old team's training ground and over to the memorial stone where he found his parents names and as he touched them a smile appeared on his face. He had visited their graves the day after the revolt and promised to visit them again; he made a note to visit Ino's flower shop to pick up a couple of roses for them. He feel three of his guests appear on the training grounds and turned to greet them.

"Afternoon baa-chan, Shizune-nee-chan and I believe you are going by Yamato these days, aren't you?"

"I see the rumors of your supposed spy network are not exaggerated." Yamato spoke as he removed his mask to reveal a man with short brown hair, black eyes, and a mask-style hitae-ate in the fashion of the Nidaime Hokage.

"Afternoon Naruto-kun."

"Brat."

"I see Kakashi is as puncture as always."

"Let's not wait for the one-eyed pervert. Why did you ask us and specifically Yamato here for?"

"Chakra Fusion: Wood Style!" Naruto ran through a few hands seals ending with a seal similar to the Ram seal and focus his chakra and caused a small tree to grow from the ground to just over his waist, stunning everyone present.

"Yo..you can…" Shizune was stuttered.

"You know Shizune-onee-chan you're cute when you stutter, reminds me of Hinata-chan." Shizune blushed at that.

"Naruto how can you use Wood style?" Tsunade asked.

"You might want to take this down. As you know there are five elemental natures to chakra, Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind and Earth. All others are combinations and normally require a bloodline like Ice; though the ninjas in Snow could use ice jutsus, they needed pre-existing snow around them to use their jutsu unlike Haku whose bloodline allowed him to combine his water and wind elements to create ice anywhere and manipulate it to a level which others would be hard pressed to achieve."

The three listened to Naruto intently while Shizune took notes.

"Some of these elements or bloodlines are created by Demons, in fact all bloodlines originated from Demons though they may skip a generation or two like the Sandaime Kazekage's Iron Sand which is a combination of Earth and Lightning and Gaara's Sand which is a combination of Earth and Wind though there are some sand based technique that most can use."

"That's all well and good Naruto but that still doesn't explain how YOU can use Wood Style." Tsunade was starting to develop a twitch in her eyebrow.

"Kyuubi." The women turned to Yamato, "Kyuubi somehow gave you the ability to use Wood style didn't he?"

Naruto just smirked and ran through the hand seals again, "Chakra Fusion: Ice Style!"

A cold wind blew around the group and the surrounding grass was covered in a light sheen of ice.

"My true bloodline is the ability to combine the elements that I possess and use their combined forms."

"You… you…" Shizune pointed a shaking finger at Naruto.

"You're stuttering again Shizune-chan." Shizune blushed even more and pressed her forefingers together.

"How… How…"

"You know baa-chan it's cute when Shizune does it, you I'm not so sure."

"SHUT UP GAKI! How many combinations can you use!" Tsunade asked/demanded.

"As many as I can with my base elements." He smirked before turning to Yamato, "I'll see you here the day after tomorrow at seven." Yamato nodded as Naruto shinshun'ed away.

"Kakashi-senpai was right. He is very interesting and unpredictable." Yamato smiled.

"Yo." Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke behind the three remaining ninja. "What I missed?" He smiled oblivious to the tick mark that appeared on Tsunade's forehead.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

* * *

- Hokage Tower, Chunin/Jounin Lounge -

By mid-afternoon, news about Naruto's 'true' bloodline had spread through Konoha since Tsunade nor Naruto said anything about keeping quiet, Kakashi and Yamato were discussing the latest development before they were joined by Gai who upon hearing the news proceeded to yell out loud to every ninja in the lounge before running out to do a thousand laps around Konoha while proclaiming Naruto's youthfulness.

Yamato sweat-dropped and looked at Kakashi, "Neh Kakashi-senpai, you don't think we'll get into trouble will we?"

"KAKASHI! YAMATO!"

"Uh oh."

* * *

- Hyuga Compound -

Naruto appeared in the middle of the street and slowly walked up to the main gates of the Hyuga compound, seeing him approach the guards bowed and greeted him before allowing him to enter and another Clan member led him to Hiashi.

"Welcome Naruto-san. Please have a seat. Tea?"

"Yes please. Thank you."

"Here are the scrolls to some of our family's techniques and training methods I promised."

Naruto picked up a scroll and read the name of the technique, "Kaiten… I'm surprise you're letting me have this technique. I thought this was a Main House technique."

"It was, now that there is no longer a Main and Branch house, it is just a Clan technique now and I am giving you this as a sign of trust between both our Clans. And while Kaiten is considered our ultimate defense technique, it is rather old and needs to be updated and you also require chakra control rivaling those of a medic or higher to properly use Kaiten."

Naruto nodded in understanding and continued to look through the scroll; some had different chakra control exercises he had never seen before and even the basics to the Juken.

"This is more than I expected."

"Like I said it is to build trust between our Clans and now that the old Clan Council is out of the way, we are moving ahead with some changes to advance the Hyuga Clan forward."

"Really? Like what if you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all. Clan members will now do other styles of fight including Ninjutsu." "Which should give Hinata an edge in the trials." Hiashi thought before continuing, "They will also be allowed to become medic-nin should they choose. The old Council deemed it beneath a Hyuga to play a supporting role."

"That's good, Konoha could always use more medic-nins."

"So how did the meeting with the Hokage regarding your real bloodline go?" Hiashi smirked.

"Good guess. Yes it was about my bloodline and since I trust you and you have shared some of your family secrets with me, then I guess you can be amongst the first to know that my actual bloodline…"

"YOOOSSSH! NARUTO-KUN'S BLOODLINE IS TO CREATE SUB-ELEMENTS! THAT'S THE POWER OF YOOOUUTH!"

Unseen by anyone even the two Clan-heads, they both had large sweat-drops on the back of their heads.

"Err… So where's Hinata-chan?"

"Neji, Kurenai and her are away on a mission right now but should be back tomorrow or the day after."

"Ookay. I think I'll get going then."

* * *

- Training Ground 27 -

Naruto arrived at Training Ground 27 which was mainly a grassy field with just a few trees, small ponds scattered around and small lake in the middle of it, five minutes early and found Yamato already there dressed in a Jounin outfit.

"Morning Naruto-san."

"Morning, glad to see you don't have Kakashi's sense of timing. So do you understand why I requested your presence?"

Yamato chuckled, "Yes you need someone to train you in Wood Style jutsus."

"Yes Kyuubi knows some but it's really against his nature to create life rather than destroy it."

"I see, then in that case we should…"

"Naruto-kun." The pair turned to see Shizune ran up to them, "Gomen. I didn't really mean to interrupt the two of you but you left the other day before I could ask you about the Celestial elements. You didn't explain the other day and I was really hoping you would right now."

"Of course Shizune-nee-chan. Celestial elements are unique elements that are not a combination of any of the five main elements, in fact the only reason Celestial elements are not considered main elements is because no one is known to wield any of them in the last few hundred years."

"What are the Celestial elements?"

"There are four: Light, Dark, Yin and Yang."

"What about the Nara clan?"

"Like I explained the other day, the Nara clan has a watered down version of the Dark element, they can control shadows and use them for attacks like piercing and strangle holds but Dark style is more versatile than that but of course they have developed techniques I can't use like Shikamaru's Kagemane."

"Interesting… Hmm…"

"Anything else?"

"Nope. I think that's about it. Thanks Naruto-kun." Shizune kept her notebook and left after saying goodbye.

"Let's get started shall we? Since you already know how to combine the two different elements and grow a tree which is the starting point we will move on to making the tree bigger, growing multiple trees then some basic Wood Style jutsu like…"

* * *

- Namikaze Compound -

Naruto sat at his father's deck, well he could rightfully say it was his now but every little think that reminded him of his parents was a good thing so he kept it that way, his training with Yamato was tiring, it was harder than he thought. He had some sub-element jutsus in his arsenal but Wood was not one of them. Yamato's Mokuton abilities were something to behold while not as strong as the Shodaime's, it was still leaps and bounds ahead of Naruto. Another difference between Naruto and Yamato was that Yamato's Mokuton like the Shodaime's gave him the ability to control/calm demons i.e. the Biju whereas Naruto's was merely creating Mokuton chakra for jutsus.

While Naruto did not voice it, it did concern him about Yamato's ability and how it might affect him in the future. Thankfully his conversation with Kyuubi during his training session, a skill he developed to split his attention over the years, laid his fears to rest. Yamato's abilities should not be able to affect him unless Naruto uses too much of Kyuubi's power and loses control. Keyword being should.

He could think about that another time, right now he was doing some research and unlike the super pervert, his was real research; he had found his mother's diary and some scrolls about her home village, Uzushiogakure. It seemed while his family was renowned for their mastery of water jutsus, their village as a whole were renowned and feared for their fuinjutsus so much so that they were destroyed because of it.

"Guess it's time for the World to fear the Uzumaki seals once again." Naruto spoke to himself as five clones appear behind him and set off to read some of the books on sealing he had at his disposal. He continued to read and found out more information about Uzu, their long lifespans and their connections to Konoha but what intrigued him was a mention of his mother's special charka and abilities. He looked through her diary but could not find anything significant, the diary itself did not go back very far and his mother did not write in it regularly.

Naruto tried asking Kyuubi but it only told him he knew his mother but they did not have the same kind of relationship Naruto shared with him and that Naruto would have to find out more about her on his own. As luck would have it, he found a few maps, some showing the layout of the village and others the whole island but none showed where Whirlpool was in relation to the rest of the Elemental countries till he found one with a little bit of Fire country in the corner.

"Why does that look so familiar?" Naruto got up and pulled a map from a shelf and started to scan it. Naruto's eyes widened when he found the sport that he was looking for, "Wave…"

* * *

- Training Ground 7 -

Naruto was sitting against one of the posts that were used by Team 7 back in the day, he was taking a breather from his training and was thinking about what he found out yesterday about Uzu and Wave. Wave was one of the options he was thinking about moving to and knowing he had some roots there as well was making the idea more tempting. His thoughts were interrupted when Sasuke appeared in front of him.

"Hey dobe."

"Teme."

"What you doing here?"

"What's it look like?"

"Looks like you're doing a Shikamaru." Sasuke smirked.

"At least I work before I relax."

"How about a spar then?" Sasuke challenged.

"Conditions?"

"No summoning, other than that no limits."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, "You're serious?"

Sasuke just shrugged, "Why not? The two of us aren't pushovers. I'm sure we can handle ourselves."

"Fine, don't expect me to take it easy on your ass." Naruto got up and placed his mask on.

"Hn. I won't be caught unawares like last time." He activated his Sharingan.

Naruto made the first move by reaching behind him and launching two Predator shurikens before activating his plasma caster and fired three shots at the Uchiha. Sasuke dodged the shurikens and threw a couple of kunai, three intercepted the plasma bolts, Sasuke had observed that the longer Naruto charged his bolt the more powerful they were but quick charges were weaker and could probably be countered with kunai which he just proved, while another three headed for Naruto who deflected them with his wrist-blades.

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

Naruto rolled out of the way of the way of the fireball and gathered water in his hand.

"He's drawing water from the air!" Sasuke thought.

"Water Style: Water bullets!" Naruto threw the ball of water which separated into several smaller balls.

Sasuke ducked under the liquid projectiles and countered with his Chidori Spear which caught Naruto in the chest. For a second, Sasuke thought he had seriously hurt Naruto but saw that Naruto's heavy torso armor had stopped his jutsu.

Sasuke sighed in relief before getting annoyed, "What the hell is that thing made off? It stopped my spear cold."

"I don't have a name for this metal but as you can see it gets the job done."

"Damn right it does."

The two Clan-heads charged each other and started to trade kicks, punches and blocks. Both seemed evenly matched in the taijutsu department. Naruto threw a roundhouse kick which Sasuke caught and countered with an elbow to the knee. Naruto used his other leg to kick Sasuke away before he could inflict more damage to the knee.

"So teme, why aren't you under the C.R.A?" Naruto asked as he ducked under a right hook.

"Who says I'm not." Sasuke threw a roundhouse kick which Naruto jumped over, "It's just not public knowledge since I was placed under it back in the Academy and even after making Chunin, I didn't bother to get it announced besides I was more focused on chasing my brother back then."

"Then why not after I brought you back?" Naruto threw a bicycle kick which missed and followed up with a couple of shuriken.

"I was occupied with chasing your ass."

Naruto turned green for a moment, "Do you know how wrong that sounded."

Sasuke turned green as well when he realized what he said, "SHUT UP DOBE! I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!"

"I don't know all those girls throwing themselves at you all those years and you never show any interest in them let alone nail any of them. Makes the situation a little iffy if you ask me."

"You moron! Chidori!" Sasuke charged forward.

"Wood Style: Binding Nest!"

Startled, Sasuke jumped out of the way of the tree as it grew out of the ground, "What the hell?"

"Earth Style: Inner Decapitation Jutsu!"

"Shit!" Sasuke could not react in time and was pulled into the ground and looked up at a smug Naruto.

"That's twice I've beaten you Teme."

"Shut up Dobe! You surprised me! That's all! First with that Dark Style then now with Wood Style. How the hell can you use Wood Style?"

"I'm surprised you didn't hear about it; Gai was screaming it all over Konoha about three days ago."

"I was out on a mission with Shikamaru and Kiba. Now can you get me out of here?"

"Sorry Teme, I'm just a clone. I'm sure the real me will be back in a couple of hours. Ja ne." With that, the clone popped out of existence.

"NARUTO!"

* * *

- Main Gates -

The 'permanent' gate guards Izumo and Kotetsu were at their usual post and from the way they were sitting, one with his feet on the desk and the other laying back, you would not think that not only were they at war back just a couple of day ago, there was a revolt within the village. Izumo was even about to doze off but both Chunin leap to their feet when two squads of ninjas appeared at the gates but relaxed when they noticed that the ninjas were from Suna and recognized the leader.

"Temari-san what are you doing here? We weren't expecting you back for another three weeks." Izumo asked.

"Well yes but one of our squads on the way back from Konoha delivered a disturbing message about a revolt within Konoha almost as soon as they left so we came to investigate as soon as we could."

"Yes there was a revolt but that was put down quickly."

"I see, well Gaara will be glad to hear that. He's actually on the way here, we're the advance party. I would like to meet with the Hokage."

"Kazekage-sama is on the way here. Of course, I'll take you." Kotetsu offered.

The ninjas made it to the tower in good time, the other Suna nin waited in the lobby while Kotetsu escorted Temari to Tsunade's office. Shizune was just stepping out of the office when she saw the pair and allowed Temari in while Kotetsu returned to his post.

"Hokage-sama, it's good to see that you're well and in-charge." Temari bowed.

"Temari-san, it's good to see you again though I did not expect you back so soon."

"Yes well we received word from one of our teams about a revolt of some kind so we feared the worst and came here to investigate as soon as possible in fact Gaara is on his way here and should be here soon."

"I see. Well I guess we should wait for him to arrive so that I don't have to repeat myself but yes there was a revolt led by Danzo and the Elders but thankfully with Naruto's help we were able to stop them from taking over."

"So is Naruto still in Konoha?"

"Yes, he's decided to stay for awhile longer while he decides if he wants to stay permanently or not."

"I see so he hasn't actually decided to rejoin Konoha."

"No he hasn't." There was a knock on the door before Shizune opened it.

"Kazekage-sama is here, Tsunade-sama."

After Gaara and his siblings sat down, Tsunade brought the Sand siblings up to speed about everything that had happened since Naruto's return. She left nothing out even the revelations of Naruto's plan and true intentions. To say that they were surprised would be an understatement.

"I can't believe he summoned the Empress here."

"I'm more interested in his plan; it was flawless in its execution."

"You have got to be kidding, that pip-squeak pulled all that off?" Temari and Gaara turned to Kankuro giving him disapproving looks but before either could say anything they were interrupted.

"What was that Make-up boy?"

"IT'S WAR PAINT!"

A barbed tail descended from the ceiling and lightly wrapped around Kankuro's neck just as Naruto stepped out of the shadows. Kankuro and Gaara's eyes widened as they took in the changes that Naruto had gone through over the years while Temari just blushed.

"Naruto?"

"That's right Make-up boy."

"It's…" The tail tightened slightly, "It's Kabuki make-up."

"Make-up none the less."

"Fine." Kankuro admitted defeat. The Sand siblings looked up just as the tail released Kankuro and saw a Runner sink back into its own shadow.

"I didn't know they can do that."

"They can't Temari-chan but I can."

"What?"

"It's a Dark style jutsu similar to the Shinshun which I can use on others."

"Oh."

"It's been awhile Gaara." Naruto held his hand out which Gaara shook without hesitation.

"Yes it has Naruto. I've been hearing a lot about your latest exploits, I don't know if I should be impressed or disturbed."

"You? Disturbed by my actions? You were the insomniac who wanted to give blood to your 'mother'."

"Yes and your actions disturb me."

Naruto blinked for a few seconds before speaking, "Did you just make a joke?"

Naruto looked over to the Siblings who seemed as surprised as he was. He had no idea what to think till he noticed a few grains of Gaara's sand armor vibrating as if he was laughing. Naruto just smiled, Gaara's come along further than he had imagined.

"So tell me Naruto, what's this I hear about a bloodline that's not about your Dark style jutsus?"

"And where did you hear about my bloodline?"

"Civilians like to talk a lot." Kankuro answered.

"I see. Yes I have a bloodline that allows me to combine my chakra natures together to create sub-elements."

"That is a powerful bloodline, Naruto. Should you not rejoin Konoha you are always welcome in Suna, bloodline or no bloodline."

"Thank you Gaara. That means a lot but I have not decided either way."

"I understand."

"So how about a date, Naruto-kun?" Temari flirted. "I might be able to help you make up your mind about joining Suna."

"Straight forward aren't you?" Naruto teased while Temari just shrugged, "That's a very tempting offer Temari-chan if I didn't know any better I would think you were just after me for my bloodline but I might just take you up on your offer…"

"Hold it right there buster!" Kankuro interrupted, "I happen to know for a fact that you are engaged to the Hyuga heiress and there is no way I'm letting you go out with my sister and another girl without her knowing…"

Kankuro got a metal fan to the top of his head for his troubles.

"You idiot I know that besides he's the last holder of a bloodline, that entitles him be placed under the C.R.A."

"C.R.A?"

Temari sighed figuring that Kankuro probably slept through class when the village laws were taught and proceed to fill him in on the details.

"So Suna has a C.R.A as well." Naruto stated.

"Yes it was widely accepted when it was first introduced in fact every village has it except maybe Mist because of their bloodline wars. Now about that date…"

"Wait… You get a harem? Even in Suna?"

"Yes." Both Kages answered.

Kankuro promptly fell to his knees and bowed to Naruto chanting 'I'm not worthy.' over and over again, much to Temari's embarrassment.

* * *

- Training Ground 14 -

"So it's agreed then." Ino stated. She stood across from Sakura and to her left was Tenten who was facing Hinata.

The four girls had gathered to discuss about their favorite blonde and had come to an agreement though Hinata and Tenten were more reluctant than the other two.

"Alright." Tenten nodded, "We will all date or at least TRY." She glared at Sakura and Ino, "to date Naruto-kun and the first one to get him to say 'I Love You', wins."

"Yes and the others will back off, including voiding any marriage contracts or anything similar." Sakura looked at a determined Tenten and a nervous Hinata.

"O… Ok." Hinata was initially very worried and hesitant to agree with Ino and Sakura but she had to agree that she wanted Naruto to like her for her and not because of the marriage agreement though it was a valuable advantage. So she steeled her resolve and used this little contest to push herself to really get to know Naruto better and win his heart.

Tenten glared at the other girls, she was actually going to tell Ino and Sakura off but the two of them had 'pleaded' their case for their feelings and managed to convince Hinata to agree before she could interject. She figured that Hinata would be some kind of completion though not much and maybe Sakura but was thrown for a loop when Ino confessed her feelings.

"So how do we decide who gets to go first?" Tenten asked.

"How about drawing straws?" Ino suggested.

"No way." Sakura was not much of a gambler in the first place but did not want to chance it that she got more than her master's super strength. "How about a match?"

"What?"

"Well think about it, Naruto wants a strong foundation for his Clan which means the strongest Kunoichi joining him so why not a match?" Sakura explained.

"I… I guess… That makes sense." Hinata was getting more nervous and took deep breathes to try and calm herself.

"Fine... No killing or permanently crippling blows though, okay?" Tenten asked as she drew a pair of kunai.

"Fine." Ino drew a kunai.

Hinata just nodded and got into a Gentle Fist stance.

Sakura slipped on her gloves, "Last one standing gets to go first."

The four stared at each other not one willing to make the first move. A single leave fell from a tree and gentle flew towards the middle of the girls and just as it touched the grass it was violently kicked back up when the girls disappeared.

Ino jumped up and twisted her body to dodge Tenten's kunais and shurikens but blocked one with a kunai and threw it at Tenten just as she landed on her feet and rushed forward to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the weapons mistress. Tenten dodged the kunai and blocked the punch to her face and countered with a knee which Ino blocked with her elbow.

"She's good but I guess that should be expected considering whose on her team." Ino thought.

"Damn. She's better in taijutsu than I thought." Tenten thought as she ducked under a kick to the head.

Both Kunoichi had to jump up as the ground under them erupted.

Hinata ducked under a punch Sakura tried to hit her with and tried to counter with a few Juken strikes to her arm to take away one of Sakura's primary weapons but Sakura was able to jump back and throw a flash tag hoping to take out Hinata's primary weapon, it worked. Hinata could not react fast enough and was blinded by the flash. Hinata kept her cool and relying on her other senses realized what Sakura was about to do and jumped up just as Sakura hit the ground hoping to knock her off her feet.

Sakura ducked under a roundhouse kick to her head from behind and grabbed Ino's leg and threw her towards a tree. Ino adjusted herself midair and landed on the tree before pushing off the tree and throwing three shuriken at Sakura who jumped out of the way. Having anticipated that, Ino intercepted her with punch in the gut. While it was nothing compared to what she had receiving training with Tsunade but that was before she felt her left arm go numb.

Hinata's eyes recovered just in time to see Tenten launch a dozen kunai and shuriken from a small storage scroll which Hinata deflected with Kaiten, surprising Tenten. Hinata rushed forward to attack Tenten who unsealed a staff to block the Juken strikes. Tenten tried to use a couple of low kicks to hit Hinata while keeping Hinata's arms busy with her staff but Hinata just stepped over the kicks or blocked them with low kicks of her own. Seeing an opening, Hinata used her flexibility to sneak pass Tenten and rushed forward, striking several points on Sakura's arm.

"Shit!" Sakura cursed as she jumped away from both Hinata and Ino.

Hinata tried to hit Ino when she saw Sakura jump away but Ino replaced herself with a log. Hinata turned around and blocked a staff strike from Tenten. Hinata brought her leg up to block a kick from Ino. Sakura had healed her arm and jumped high, looking to hit the other three Kunoichis with a heel drop kick but Hinata threw all of them off with a Kaiten.

"Damn. Hinata's tough." Was the general thought going through their heads.

Hinata suddenly appeared behind Ino, "You're within my divination. Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms! Two palms! Four palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-two Palms! Sixty-four Palms!"

Ino unable to dodge or block any of the hits was down for the count surprising the other two remaining Kunoichis. Tenten decided to attack and was about to wrap Sakura up in ninja wire when the pink haired girl disappeared and she was suddenly surrounded by Sakura petals and started to feel sleepy.

"Shit… Genjutsu but when…" Tenten passed out before she could break free.

Sakura looked up from the fallen figure of Tenten, she seldom used genjutsu but that did not mean she was not good at it. Seeing Tenten's distraction, she quickly casted a simple but effective genjutsu on the bun haired Chunin. Now it was just the two of them left. Sakura tightened her gloves as Hinata got into a stance.

"I won't lose!" They both thought before attacking.

Sakura drew some sendons laced with a paralyzing agent; she was not that proficient with sendon needles as she would have liked but only her sendons were laced with non-lethal compounds, she mainly used them for acupuncture. Sakura threw the needles and knew what was coming. But instead of Kaiten, Hinata dodged the needles and headed straight for Sakura. Both drew kunais and clashed against each other, neither giving ground. They stared at each other with fiery determination.

Both jumped back, Sakura throwing a flash tag and Hinata a smoke bomb. The smoke covered the small arena blinding Sakura who was unsure if the flash tag had an effect like before so she quickly channeled chakra into her fist and hit the ground and heard a gasp of surprise from her right. Sakura sent a punch in that direction, looking for a knock out blow but hit nothing but air. Looking down she saw an explosive tag.

"Shit!" She jumped out of the way just as it exploded.

Sakura managed to escape most of the blast and threw a kick to the side which caught Hinata in the stomach but Hinata managed to hit a couple of tenketsu points on her leg before their put some distance between each other. Sakura started to heal her legs and reopen the closed tenketsu points, she could not keep healing herself, she did not have enough chakra to carry on a prolong fight with Hinata especially if her opponent kept forcing her to waste chakra reopening her tenketsu.

"I've… never see… seen you fight like this before… Hinata."

"Na... Naruto-kun has… always been my… source of stre… strength and someone… I aspire to be…"

"Sounds… more like you place… placed him on a… pedestal. Naruto-kun is still… human. He… has his faults and… weaknesses… though he doesn't show them."

"I KNOW THAT!" Hinata yelled exhaustion forgotten, "I've seen him weak and I curse myself for being too weak to support him when he needed it especially after you rejected him!"

Sakura felt like she had been stabbed in the heart, "I know that. I know that I've done Naruto a lot of wrong maybe more than I can ever make up for in one life time but I will try and no matter what… I WON'T GIVE UP!"

With that, the last two combatants charged each other. Sakura threw a punch aimed at Hinata's head but the Hyuga heiress ducked under it and delivered a closed fist uppercut to Sakura, who was sent flying back but managed to catch Hinata with a bicycle kick to the chin sending her on her back while Sakura landed face down on the ground. Both of them tried to get back up but failed to and passed out.

Sakura groaned and rolled on her back, "What happened?" She asked, not expecting an answer.

"What happened is I tried to find you guys to see if you wanted to have lunch and I find the four of you passed out."

"Temari?" Sakura opened her eyes and saw said wind mistress helping her sit up while Tenten help Ino sit down.

Hinata walked over and sat down with the rest of the group while rubbing her jaw.

"Care to tell me what's going on here?" Temari asked as she stood up and crossed her arms.

The girls fill her in on pretty much everything that let up to the whole battle royal.

"I don't believe it. You guys were literally fighting over a guy, an incredibly hot guy but still a guy."

"It wasn't that personal. We are in agreement on how we would approach Naruto-kun since only one of us can be with him." Tenten explained.

Temari just blinked for a few seconds, "Didn't you hear? Naruto is now under the C.R.A."

"What!"

"And I got a date with him tomorrow." Temari smirked as she walked away.

"WHAAAT!"

TBC

* * *

A/N:

Oh and before I forget 2 more things before I post the other story and hit the sack, it's 3.30 in the morning now...

1. Naruto has some serious (in my opinion) power-ups in the AU. If you do decide to read it tell me what you think about adding some of the other power-ups since sub-elements is in.

2. There is a poll on my profile, I'm looking for some idea(s) of what element each girl should get now. They'll need it. I do have some ideas but nothing solid.


	15. Going Home

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and/or AVP.

A/N:  
HEY! I'm back! First off sorry for the long wait, it seems my talents for writing does not extend to romance as much as it does action and even comedy. Writing Naruto and Temari's date was the hardest part for this chapter. Plus my beta (who's my gf) and I have been building a growing business and starting up a new Scout Unit so we've been pretty busy.

Thanks to everyone for all the great support and reviews, some of which have contributed to the story one way or another.

Anyway for those asking there is a better than 60% that Temari will be in a relationship with Naruto just not sure how deep/developed of a relationship yet.

Now on with the story.

Chapter 15 - Going Home

* * *

- Konoha -

The girls, minus Temari had patched themselves as best they could without going to the hospital and decided to settle down in a café to discuss the latest developments regarding their favorite blonde.

"Ok so we're in agreement." Ino stated.

"Yes." Sakura answered an ice pack under her jaw, medical ninjutsu or not Hinata has a hell of a right fist.

"Ya ya." Tenten crossed her arms across her chest, she was still pissed that she was the second one to go down. She kinda regretted not summoning at least one Angel to help her but she did not think that would be fair, damn her for spending too much time with Gai and Lee, fair should not be in a ninja's vocabulary.

"Are… Are you sure… We should be doing this? Naruto-kun might not like it…" Hinata asked mirroring Sakura's action.

"Look Hinata, we're not going to sabotage their date." Ino explained even if she really was tempted to, "We're just going to watch them and see how things are going."

"I guess…"

"Besides I would figure that you'd want to break them up if things get hot and heavy and you weren't involved. " Ino smirked.

"Wh… What?" Hinata blushed so hard that the ice pack melted.

"Ino-pig! Can you not be a pervert!"

"What? Can any of you honestly tell me that you'd let Temari bang Naruto before you?" All the girls were silent and blushing, none willing to dignify Ino's questions so she decided to continue, "I don't know about you girls but I wouldn't mind getting Naruto in the sack."

"INO-PIG!"

"PERVERT!"

"EEP!"

"Why don't you shout it louder, I don't think they heard you in Oto." Ino mumbled suddenly quiet and blushing.

The other girls looked around and noticed everybody was looking at them and some of the guys even had perverted grins that reminded them of Jiraiya.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU LOOKING AT!" Sakura and Tenten yelled. Everyone, especially the men looked away, not wanting to incur the wrath of the two well known kunoichis.

"Anyway back to business. So assuming we won't have to interrupt Naruto-kun's date with Temari, we still have to figure out who get to go out with Naruto-kun first." Tenten pointed out annoyed that she was third in line because she was the second one to go down even though she already had anything resembling a relationship compared to the others.

"Don't remind me…" Ino groaned, being the first to go down in their little rumble, she was last to get a date with Naruto.

"So how are we going to decide which one of us gets to ask Naruto-kun first?" Sakura asked Hinata.

"I think I have an idea." Ino suggested.

* * *

- Hyuga Compound -

Hinata walked pass the guards to her family compound, the guards looked up in concern when Hinata walked pass them without saying a word. Normally, she would greet the guards even if it was frowned upon before the houses were reunited. They discreetly activated their Byakugan and found that Hinata was deep in thought and not an imposer.

Hinata entered her room and flopped onto her bed, her mind filled with possible images of Naruto and Temari on their date that evening and how it might end with the two of them in bed but before things could really get going, Temari was replaced with Hinata herself which caused said girl to blush brightly at her imagination. Her hand started to move pass her stomach towards the waist-band of her pant when she was brought out of her daydream by a knock at her door.

"Hinata-sama."

"Y… Yes?" The blushing girl composed herself before answering.

"Your father would like to see you in his study. He says it's important."

"Al… Alright. Thank you." Hinata straightened out her clothes and left her room and headed for her father's study, curious as to what he wanted to speak to her about. She stopped in front of the door and knocked, entering only when she was called in. She was about to greet her father when she noticed someone else in the room, "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hello Hinata, I'll be your ninjutsu instructor from now on."

"Really?"

"Yes." Hiashi answered, "Who better to teach you ninjutsu than Konoha's foremost ninjutsu expert."

"And your father and I have come to an agreement that I won't be late for any of our training sessions." Kakashi eye smiled and took out a piece of chakra paper and handed it to Hinata, "This is chakra paper, just channel chakra through it and it'll let us know your chakra nature."

"Ok." Hinata took the paper and channeled chakra through and saw it get damp.

"Water… Interesting…"

"Is there a problem Kakashi-san?" Hiashi asked.

"No. No, not at all. I have a few jutsus I can teach Hinata but I was just hit by inspiration but I might need to call in a favor… from Gai…" Kakashi mentally groaned.

* * *

- Namikaze Compound -

Naruto had no real idea what he was going to do other than a fancy dinner at one of Konoha's most expensive restaurant. It seemed that they were more than willing to make room for Naruto and his date. He wondered if they would have been so eager if they knew his date was from Suna and that they were trying to get him to move to Suna. He decided to dress somewhat causally opting for dress shoes and black pants with a white long sleeve shirt and his black trench-coat thrown over that. Naruto smiled at the image in the mirror and finished the look with the 'curse' necklace.

Naruto shunshin'ed to the Golden Leaf Hotel where the Sand siblings were staying; it was one of the high end hotels in Konoha but could not much up to some of the resorts he had stayed in during his travels. He walked up to the elevator, pass the reception and security counter; nobody dared to even approach him and he headed straight for the top floor. There were only two rooms on this level which were more like apartments with multiple rooms in them.

Naruto knocked on the door; Kankuro opened it and somewhat reluctantly let him in. Kankuro was not in the mood to get hit by Temari's fan and he doubted he could pull the over-protective brother card on Naruto, he'd be a dead man before the card hit the table. Naruto nodded a greeting and entered to find Gaara seated in the hall reading a newspaper and only looked up for a moment to nod to Naruto who returned the gesture.

"Temari will take awhile. You know how girls are; they take forever to get ready, not that it'll help Temari." Kankuro joked.

"Is that so?"

Kankuro froze and turned around to find Temari standing in front of her door, arms crossed under her chest and tapping her foot.

"He… Hey Temari."

While Temari was glaring at Kankuro, Naruto took the opportunity to give Temari a once-over. Her hair was still tied in her distinctive four ponytails and she had some light make-up on which highlighted her features and her lips were covered with red lipstick. She wore a little black dress that hugged her figure and ended mid-thigh and sheer see-through long sleeves. To top off the outfit, she had on fishnet stockings and white short heel pumps.

After deciding that she made Kankuro sweat enough, she turned and posed for Naruto, "So what do you think?"

"Beautiful is the only word I can think of as I doubt that there is an actual word invented to say how pretty you are."

Kankuro made a gagging motion but was ignored by everyone else. Temari smiled and threw a shawl over her shoulders before taking Naruto's arm and walking out the door.

"Have fun tonight." Gaara said in a low voice before the couple walked out and closed the door.

"But not too much fun." Kankuro said in an equally low voice.

* * *

The pair walked arm in arm down the street. "So… What are we doing?" Temari asked, her posture relaxing from that of a Jonin to that of a woman safe in the knowledge that she was with a man who would do everything and beyond to protect her.

"Dinner of course." Naruto said with a grin.

"And after that?" She asked.

The blonde sighed, "Truthfully… The way the things have been I didn't plan everything out." He gave her a regretful look.

Temari patted his forearm that was linked with hers. "It's okay, I understand."

* * *

On a roof of a building on the same street, out of sensor range of most ninja, were Sakura, Tenten, Ino and Hinata all laying on their stomach using binoculars (except Hinata who was using her bloodline) to watch the blonde pair.

"Looks like they're leaving."

"Way to state the obvious, Tenten." Ino said sarcastically, "I wonder where they're going."

"Probably Ichiraku." Sakura answered.

"I don… don't see what's wro… wrong with that Sakura-san. That's one of… of Naruto-kun's unique… traits."

"I guess that's true." Sakura thought back to the few times she ate at the ramen stand with Naruto and realized that the ramen stand and Ichiraku's were probably one of the first few people to treat Naruto as a real person and not the Kyuubi, so Ichiraku was a special place to him. She sighed knowing this was just something to add to her list of screw-ups.

"Oh shit!"

"What?" Sakura asked Tenten.

"There're Drones in the area, I think we've already been spotted."

"Shit! Does Naruto-kun know?" Ino asked looking nervous.

Tenten closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before sighing in relieve, "They didn't tell him and they won't. They'll even fall back and let us get closer."

"That's good." Ino breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ye… Yes it is." Hinata wiped her brow in relief; she did not even want to think about how Naruto would react if he caught them.

Tenten looked confused for a moment which the other girls noticed and got concern.

"You okay Tenten?" Sakura asked.

"Ya, I'm fine I just got this weird image and feeling."

"Weird how?"

"Well… I thought I saw the Empress' face for a second then there was this feeling of impending doom mixed in with… I don't know… giddiness?"

"Weird." Ino agreed.

* * *

- With Naruto & Temari -

"Now onto dinner, milady." Naruto said.

"You're not going to tell me where we're going?" Temari mock pouted.

"Nope. It's going to be a surprise."

After a few minutes of walking and idle chit-chat, Naruto stopped in of a large red building with a neon sign at the top of the gate-like entrance, "We're here."

Temari felt her jaw unhinge, "We're eating here?"

"Yup."

Temari followed Naruto in a slight daze, The Jade Dragon was the finest restaurant in Konoha and was ranked top five in all the Elemental countries, even Gaara and the Hokage together had to make a reservation almost a month in advance the last time they had a meeting and ate here. She was so annoyed when Kankuro rubbed in her face that he ate there with them while she was busy with an urgent mission; she had to get a replacement fan after she dealt with the puppet-master.

* * *

- With the Other Girls -

"No stinking way!" Ino hissed, "The Jade Dragon?"

"Well at least his tastes improved." Tenten commented.

"Still… The Jade Dragon?" Sakura could not hide the shock in her voice.

"Yes, I heard not even Hokage-sama can't get in without a reservation and it usually takes at least a month to get one." Hinata informed.

"Oh I'm so going to get him to take me there," Ino licked her lips.

"Get in line Ino-pig. The rest of us are in front of you." Sakura smirked while thinking where Naruto and she could go.

Ino groaned and started to bang her head against the wall, cursing herself for not training harder and being taken down first.

* * *

- With Naruto & Temari -

The manager lead the blond duo to a private table specially prepared for them. Being a gentleman, Naruto pulled out Temari's chair for her before taking a seat. Temari winced at the prices and nearly swallowed her tongue when Naruto ordered one of the most expensive wines.

"Your server will be over shortly, if you need anything please feel free to let me know."

"Thanks." They both responded in unison.

Temari had a smile on her face and Naruto was happy for that. He was worried that she might not enjoy herself while they were out. Maybe getting a place in Konoha's top restaurant did work though what to do afterwards was still a mystery.

"So why did you decide to take me out tonight, Naruto-kun?" She asked still smiling. She really did want to have a good time tonight.

"Why would I say no to a date with a beautiful girl, Temari-chan?" He answered as he took a sip of his wine.

Temari giggled, "How considerate of you." Before frowning and looking down, "But aren't you afraid I'm just doing this to get you to join Suna?"

Without missing a beat or his smile, he answered, "Are you?"

"NO!" Temari blushed with embarrassment at her out-blast, "I mean not really."

Naruto raised an eye-brow but keep silent.

"I… I owe you a lot, Naruto-kun. More than I'll ever be able to repay. You gave me back Gaara and because of that we're a family now, a real family and for that I'm eternally gratefully. And I… I… sort of… really… kind of…" Temari blushed harder this time for a different reason.

It kind of amused Naruto that a Kunoichi like Temari could be so shy around a guy she liked. He smiled touched her hand across the table. When she realized what she saying but could not get it out, she turned her head hoping that she would not blush any harder. The moment was spoilt however when the waiter showed up to take their orders and practically stared at Temari barely containing his drool.

"Take a picture," Temari glared, "it'll last longer."

"Gomen nasai." The waiter said as he bowed to her, "I didn't realize. Err… May I take your order?"

Naruto and Temari placed their orders and the waiter could not get away from the blond duo fast enough.

"For a minute there I thought that I was going to have to hold her back from hitting that guy. I'm kinda surprised that he didn't run away in fear." Naruto thought as he watched the waiter hurry away.

The two smirked at the waiter and started to talk and get to know each other more especially before they met during their first Chunin exams. By the time their main course arrived, Naruto was telling her about his life after he became a Genin.

"Yeah, there was a mission which was rather interesting. It taught me a lot so I'm pretty sure that it would interest you. There was this old man that we needed to guard and he was under threat from an A-ranked Nukenin named Momochi Zabuza. Kakashi-sensei fought with him but the guy was disabled by his apprentice who told Kakashi-sensei that he was some sort of Oinin from Kirigakure…"

Naruto told the entire tale of his first C rank mission to her and she smiled and ate a little bit.

* * *

- With the Other Girls -

"This is soooo boring." Ino whined.

"Well if you find it so boring, why don't you leave then?" Sakura shot back though she too was feeling a little bored; she was not going to let Naruto and Temari out of her sights. She and the others watched with great interest through the windows at the way the two interacted.

"Sigh… I wish I was in Temari-san's place." Hinata thought.

"Hmmm… I didn't know your first C-rank mission turned into an A-rank mission." Tenten commented.

"Sigh… Blame it on fate or luck. I think there are about three C or B rank missions that Team 7 was sent on that were upgraded to A and above like our mission to Snow."

"So that movie you guys were in was for real?" Ino looked shocked.

"Duh!" Sakura rolled her eyes, "I told you it was real. The director had us act a few scenes and narrated a few lines then edited it together with the real footage he shot."

"You're so lucky to be in the movie." Ino sighed, "I wonder if Naruto-kun would give me an autograph."

"Hey look, they're leaving," Tenten pointed out.

They found the blond duo leaving the restaurant and headed towards the park where they could see the moon in the sky, it being only a small sickle instead of being full. The stars were blinking, making it look romantic to them.

The four Konoha Kunoichis were watching the couple as they sat on a bench, chatting with each other about some stuff. None of them could hear what was being said and the angle they were in prevented the spying Kunoichis from reading their lips, allowing the couple to have some privacy but nonetheless keeping a careful eye on the proceedings.

"So your first kiss was with a guy?" Temari giggled as she could see him kissing Sasuke when they were kids. She moved forward and gave him a kiss on the lips, making his eyes widen quite a bit as she wrapped her hands around him, pressing her bust against his chest, making it seem like a lovers' embrace.

The other girls would have sighed at the romantic scene were it not for the fact that the guy they liked was kissing and soon to be making out with a girl that was not them.

Temari felt her body shiver once and she broke the kiss, "How did that feel, Naruto-kun? Do you think you can kiss me again?"

Naruto responded immediately by kissing her on her mouth, wrapping his hands around her, letting one slide towards her lower back on instinct and he could feel her beginning to deepen the kiss, a tongue slipping into his mouth. He felt a little guilty as he thought about the other girls who had expressed interest in him but he pushed those thoughts aside and his body acted on instinct, beginning to lash out with his own tongue to tease the girl he was holding, no matter to her own physical reaction. He could feel her breasts pressing against him.

The other girls were turning so green with envy that they matched the bushes perfectly; there were even the sounds on knuckles cracking and the sound of knives being drawn. Naruto broke the kiss much to the other girls' relief but Temari moaned for more, not wanting the feeling to go away.

"So shall I bring you back, Temari-chan? I think we need to stop this now before I literally take you on this bench, like Ero-sennin would encourage me to do."

"Aww… But what if I want you to take me on this bench?" Temari teased. Before she could do anything, she felt him turn her around and his hands encircle her waist as she stood and he kissed her neck and suckled on the flesh softly at first then harder leaving a reddish mark there.

Temari did a full body blush as she felt his soft lips on her neck and when he suckled, a shiver went through her entire body, making her feel so hot and bothered at the moment and was really giving serious thought to letting Naruto take her right then and there or if he refused, she was willing to push him to the ground and ride him for all she was worth.

"So Temari-chan would you like me to walk you back or shall I take you home another way?" Naruto asked in a husky voice that sent shivers down her spine.

Temari felt her knees go weak, "I don't think I can walk right now."

"Then leave it to me."

Temari felt herself sinking into the shadows and while it felt cold and dark, the feeling of Naruto's arms around was enough to comfort her. The Konoha Kunoichis watched as the blond couple sunk into their shadows and started to panic.

"Crap!" Ino cursed, "How are we supposed to follow them?"

"I think we have to spread out." Sakura suggested.

"Let's head back to the hotel first, that might be where they're heading." Tenten suggested.

"Ho… Hotel? Eeep…" Hinata blushed as her thoughts went into the realm of Icha-Icha.

"Alright. Let's go!" Ino agreed and shunshin'ed away, quickly followed by the others.

* * *

A shadow appeared in front of the Golden Leaf Hotel and the blond couple rose from it in the middle of the streets scaring/shocking some people. Naruto escorted the slightly dazed Temari back to her room where he kissed her goodnight one more time. Temari watched from behind the door as Naruto walked towards the shadows and disappeared again. She closed the door and leaned against the door, fighting the urge to slide down the door.

"Did you enjoy your date, Temari?"

Temari looked up and saw Gaara sitting at the couch, this time reading a book and remembered that although Gaara could sleep since his seal was fixed, he hardly did.

Temari straightened herself and answered with a contented smiled, "It was perfect."

* * *

- Training Ground 7 -

The sun had just risen over Team 7's old training ground which was witness to an unusual sight, while it was not unusual for either Sakura and/or Sasuke to be at the training ground at the crack of dawn to train, it was that Kakashi was there at the crack of dawn without having camped out there that was unusual.

"You intend to take the trials as well Sakura," Kakashi stated.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I love Naruto and I want to be with him."

"Very well. Here." He handed her a piece of chakra paper. "You know what to do right?"

Sakura nodded channeled her chakra causing the paper to crumble.

"Earth. Well it does suit you, since Earth jutsus are prefect for defense."

"But Kakashi-sensei I need to be offensive in the trials."

"Don't worry Sakura, I have quite a few offensive Earth jutsu that you can use during the trials. I just hope you can master them in time."

"I will Kakashi-sensei. Believe it!"

Kakashi just gave her an eye smile, "Then let's begin."

For the next couple of hours Kakashi trained Sakura harder than he had ever trained her before. Fortunately, her years of training under Tsunade who was a harder task master than Kakashi had prepared her for the elemental training she was being put through. One of her training was to manipulate her chakra to form a ball of dirt then to make it grow larger by progressively adding layer upon layer of dirt on it. With her level of control, it was easy for her to do the exercise but her reserves were relatively low for non-medical ninjutsu; she only managed to grow the ball from a size of a marble to a cantaloupe before needing to take a break.

The rest of her training was spent doing chakra exercises like running laps on the river to increase her reserves but near the end of the session, Kakashi taught her the necessary seals for three Earth Style jutsus: 'Earth Style Wall', 'Earth Flow River' and 'Rising Earth Spears' with a promise to teach her more offensive jutsus if she could raise her chakra levels and master the three jutsus she had been given.

The two of them decided to take a break for lunch and both teacher and student arrived at the popular ramen stand and found their favorite blond and Uchiha eating there.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted.

They sat down with their teammates with Sakura sitting next to Naruto and ordered a miso ramen. Soon Hinata, Ino and Tenten joined them and glare a little at Sasuke for taking the seat next to Naruto. The girls chatted lively amongst themselves while the guys just ate in silence till a voice interrupted them from outside the stand.

"NARUTO-NII! I'm calling you out!"

Naruto walked out of the stand closely followed by the rest of the group where they found Konohamaru standing in the middle of the street with a shadow clone next to him.

"So you think you can take me on huh, gaki?" Naruto taunted.

"Here I come." Both boys formed a familiar seal, "Sexy no Jutsu – Girl on Girl Version!" Both boys were covered in smoke before revealing twin well-endowed brunettes hugging each other with only wisps of smoke hiding what little modesty they had left.

The reactions amongst the males were mixed, Naruto and Sasuke raised an eyebrow while Kakashi was enjoying what he saw but amongst the females, the reactions were unanimous – righteous fury.

"What you think Naruto-nii? I upgraded your signature jutsu."

Sakura punched the Genin in the stomach, "You idiot! Why are you upgrading the perverted jutsu. And Naruto, I can't believe you taught him the jutsu."

Naruto shrugged, "Hey I gave him the basics of a few jutsus before I was ran out. Besides, it's a decent distraction technique."

"There's nothing decent about that jutsu!"

"Yo!" Jiraiya appeared before the group.

"Here's someone that it might work on." Sakura turned her attention to Jiraiya allowing Konohamaru to execute another jutsu.

"Sexy no Jutsu – Boy on Boy Version!"

"Kyahhhhhhh You're a genius!" Sakura and Ino shrieked, getting a nosebleed at the sight in front of them while Hinata fainted and Tenten blushed.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Naruto and Sasuke yelled being the two portrayed in the jutsu, while Kakashi and Jiraiya's faces showed everyone that they were thinking along the same lines.

"Ah." Sakura got embarrassed at herself for falling for it.

"As if I wanna see crap like that!" Naruto stomped forward and gave Konohamaru a punch on the head sending him to the ground before he found himself being stomped on by both Naruto and Sasuke.

Calming herself down and clearing her throat, Sakura said, "Hmph. As if I'd fall for a silly jutsu like that! You need to work on more… effective… tech…"

Feeling like everyone's eyes were on her, she looked back at them. "Wh… What? I'm not into that kind of stuff! Serious!" She turned to Ino for support only to find the platinum blonde hiding behind the other two kunoichis.

'We don't believe you.' was what went through the guys' heads before Naruto and Sasuke turned to each other before disappearing and reappearing at opposite ends of the street.

"Err… I'll see you guys… Later?" Naruto yelled.

"How about tomorrow?" Sasuke yelled back.

"How about next week?"

"Better." With that, they both disappeared.

* * *

- Hokage Tower -

Naruto walked up the stairs towards the Hokage's office, he was in no mood to jump through her window after Konohamaru's little stunt; though he had to admit, he never would have thought of a version that would work on the female species. The look on the girls' faces, especially Sakura and Ino, were priceless though he would claim otherwise even under torture.

Shizune looked up from the secretary's desk and smiled at Naruto before telling him to go right in. He pushed the door open to see Tsunade at her table surprisingly without the usual towers of paperwork.

"Tsunade-san." Naruto greeted missing the flinch Tsunade made.

"Afternoon Naruto. Please have a seat."

Naruto took a seat and leaned back into the chair. The two ninjas just looked at each other, neither making the first move till Tsunade decided to speak what was on her mind.

"So Naruto have you made a decision about joining Konoha?"

"What else do you have to offer?"

Tsunade took a breath to calm herself and silently prayed that what they had to offer was enough, "We are willing to give you an additional two acres of land, five million ryo for any construction you may need, all the help you will need to move the Hive, some Clan's have offered marriage contracts and we are also offering a hundred of Konoha's most prized and original jutsus including Clan jutsus, all B rank and above."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the last offer, "That's interesting, jutsus are considered more valuable than gold to ninja villages."

"Jutsus are worthless if there is no village."

"True. Very true."

"Just out of curiosity, what jutsus are you offering?"

"Amongst them are Kakashi's Rikiri, several of the Nara Clan's Shadow techniques, some of the most powerful genjutsus of the Kurama Clan, taijutsu techniques from the Inuzuka Clan and Gai, torture and interrogation techniques from Ibiki and Anko themselves including the recipes to some nasty poisons, the basics to the Dance of the Crescent Moon kenjutsu style and the secret to my Super Strength technique."

"Those are very tempting indeed but like I said before, the other villages will probably offer the same. Not to sound greedy but I don't think it will be enough." Naruto got out of the chair and headed for the door, "I won't be a Shinobi of the Leaf."

"Then work for us as a mercenary." Tsunade almost sounded desperate as she lap to her feet.

"Mercenary?"

"Yes you'll get a regular pay check but also standard mission pay though I'm willing to offer more and you'll only answer to me and no one else."

"Doesn't sound that different then being one of your ninjas."

"You won't have to wear the Konoha symbol but it will also be like you're black ops, if you're caught there won't be any connections with Konoha not that it would matter seeing how famous you are now."

"That's true…"

"Please Naruto. We need your strength now more than ever." Tsunade was ready to forsake her pride and get down on her knees and beg Naruto.

"I want triple the usual pay and I get to keep 75% of any bounty from other nin while on missions."

"Deal."

"I want it all in writing."

"Very well it will take me awhile to prepare everything."

"I am planning to leave for a trip to Wave tomorrow. I will return in about two to three weeks, have the contract and money ready by then."

"Thank you Naruto." Tsunade sighed.

"Ya ya. Don't get your granny panties in a bunch, Baa-chan." Naruto said non-chalatantly and ducked out the door as Tsunade threw a paper-weight at his head.

"YOU BRAT!"

* * *

- Namikaze Compound -

Naruto woke up at the crack of dawn and sat up in bed, it was a king size bed with very red satin sheets and pillow covers in the master bedroom. He sighed thinking that this was going be the last time he woke up in his parents' home and bed for quite a while. As he headed for the shower, he created a Shadow clone to prepare breakfast.

Naruto put on his light armor and other predator gear he would be bringing with him as well as his ninja equipment before sealing most of them into scrolls and headed down for breakfast where his clone prepared bacon, eggs and ramen with a side of juice. Naruto sat and started to eat breakfast and was almost done when he was alerted by the seals that someone had entered the compound but had no ill intent and was heading for the front door. He got up and walked over to the door just as there was a knock and he opened it to find an ANBU at the door.

"Can I help you?"

"Excuse me Namikaze-sama but the Hokage requests your presents before you leave for your journey."

"Very well I will be there in ten minutes."

The ANBU nodded before shinshun'ing away.

Naruto grabbed his gear before hanging his mask on his belt before shinshun'ing to the Hokage Tower where he saw the Sand siblings talking to Tsunade with Shizune and Sakura sorting paperwork. He climbed through the window and greeted everyone.

"Yo."

"I have a door, brat."

"Glad you know that granny," Tsunade held her tongue and clenched her fists not wanting to kill Naruto in front of the foreign ninjas.

"Morning Naruto-kun," Temari greeted before (much to Sakura's chagrin) giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Sakura pushed back her anger and ignored Inner-Sakura's screams before putting on a smile and greeted him as well but held herself back from giving him a kiss.

"So you wanted to see me before I left?"

"You're leaving!" Sakura and Shizune asked in shock.

"Yes I will be going for a short visit to Wave."

The two apprentices sighed in relief.

"So you're not abandoning Konoha?" Sakura asked with a hopeful look on her face.

"No." Tsuande answered, "While he is no longer a Konoha shinobi, Naruto has agreed to work for us as a mercenary till the end of this war."

Everyone in the room felt a great weight lifted off their shoulders, now that they knew that Naruto would be fighting on their side.

"So you've not actually rejoined Konoha as a ninja then?" Gaara asked.

"No. They've made me an offer but I have not decided on that yet."

"I see. Then maybe you can drop by Suna soon and we can discuss about you joining us."

"I'd like that but we will have to see how busy I will be with my slant as a Konoha mercenary."

"Well I hope you won't mind doing a few missions for Suna as a mercenary as well Naruto."

"Of course not Gaara."

Temari leaned towards Naruto and 'walked' two of her fingers up his chest. "I hope you accept other methods of payment besides cash Naruto-kun." Temari flirted shamelessly.

"For you my dear Temari-chan, I'll definitely consider it."

It took every ounce of her will and Shizune holding her back by the waist to not go over and pummel the two flirting blonds. Kankuro face-palmed and looked away mumbling something along the lines of 'get a room'. The two blonds separated and Naruto walked towards the Hokage and gave a playful wink to Sakura.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade's eye tweaked, "Actually it was Kazekage-sama and his siblings; they wanted to see you before they left."

"Well if that's the case, I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks." With that, Naruto sank into his shadow.

"That move creeps me out just looking at it." Kankuro mumbled but Temari still heard him and smacked him in the back of his head.

"I'll have you know that it's not that creepy. It's rather comforting traveling that way."

"I bet." Sakura and Kankuro grumbled.

* * *

- Tamura Weapons Shop -

Asuma walked into his favorite weapons shop and looked around before heading over to the counter. Things have quieted down in the village since the failed revolt and with Iwa and Kiri's internal troubles, some of the Jonins and Chunins were able to get some much needed 'R&R' or choose to take on other tasks and that was why he was at the Tamura's family store, Satoshi had asked to meet him.

"Hey Satoshi, it's been awhile. How you been and how's my order?"

"Been pretty good, thanks to the security features we put in we managed to keep the damage limited to just the exterior of the building and prevent any looting." Satoshi answered as he reached under the counter and started taking out a couple of boxes. "Tenten, can you bring the rest of Asuma-san's order?"

"That's good to hear at least you take the necessary precautions, two of the other ninja supply shops were completely cleaned out and another was handing out tools to anyone against the Hokage."

"Hmph. Damn fools. Anyway here are your orders, two dozen kunais, two dozen shurikens, a dozen exploding tags and Tenten is getting your trench knives, gauntlets and kodachi."

"Thanks . With the way things are getting, I thought my team had better be prepared."

"No problem."

"Here you go Asuma-sensei." Tenten placed three boxes on the counter.

"Thanks Tenten. So Satoshi, what did you need from me?"

"I'd like you to take some time to train Tenten."

"Train her? In what?" He looked over to Tenten who simply held up a sheet of paper which split right down the middle before his eyes, "Interesting. Very Interesting."

* * *

- Wave -

It took a couple of days of hard travel but he was finally at 'The Great Naruto' bridge.

"I still can't believe they named the bridge after me." Naruto thought as he removed his mask but kept his hood up.

As he crossed the bridge, he remembered the battle that changed his view of things and where he learnt the value of protecting those precious to him and that ninjas are people, not mere tools to be used and thrown away. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a guard call out to him.

"Halt! Identify yourself and state your business!"

Naruto reached up and pulled back his hood, "I am Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze and I am here to see the Daimyo of Wave."

The guards were stunned for a moment before they fell to their knees and bowed to him.

"Forgive us Naruto-sama. We did not recognize you." The captain begged.

"Please get up there is no need to knee before me for doing your duties."

"Thank you Naruto-sama. You!" The captain pointed at a guard, "Quickly go and inform the Daimyo that Naruto-sama is here and wishes to see him."

"HAI!" The guard took off running.

"Naruto-sama, I can have two of my men show you around if you like, a lot has changed since we last saw you." The captain offered.

"Well if you are sure you can spare the men." Naruto knew he did not really need an escort since he knew where Tazuna lived but decided to be polite.

"We would be honored Naruto-sama. Kenta, Gin escort Naruto-sama to Daimyo-sama!"

"Hai!"

As the guards lead Naruto through the village, he could not help but notice the changes the village has gone through since he had last seen it through his own eyes. No longer were the streets deserted, gloomy and run down, they were bright, well maintained full of live and people. The people were another thing, he noticed that a lot of people had stopped what they were doing and were pointing at him or had looks of awe on their faces and more than a few women and young girls were blushing as they looked at him. As the group arrived at where Tazuna lived, Naruto pulled his hood back up so that he could give the family a surprise.

Tsunami had not been expecting visitors and was quite put out with the state of her home. It wasn't dirty in any sense, but she still felt compelled to have at least straightened up. Typical motherly thinking, sure they had housekeepers to help but she still took pride in maintaining her home. Her only hope was that it was not someone hostile to her father. Not that they have had many problems with hostility since all those years ago when Team Kakashi had waltzed in and fixed their little 'problem'. She ran her hands over her apron one last time and opened the door.

"Hello Kenta-san, Gin-san. Are you looking for Fujimaru-san? He came rushing by earlier saying something about seeing father." She greeted.

"Hai." Kenta answered, "We have an honored guest looking to meet with Tazuna-sama."

Tsunami finally notices the hooded figure standing behind the two men, "Ah, please forgive my rudeness. I am Tsunami, welcome to my home. I hope we can accommodate you Mister…"

"But Tsunami, you do remember me don't you? I'm hurt that you wouldn't recognize me. I haven't changed that much, have I?" Naruto teased as he pulled his hood back.

The older woman stood back and took in what she could of the man who stood outside her door, starting from bottom to top, she took in everything about him. His boots, the long cloak, the armor beneath, the foxy grin, the whisker marks, the long blonde hair… Her mouth fell open and she gaped as she pointed a finger at him accusingly, while tears welled up in her eyes.

"Na…Naruto? Is that really you?"

Naruto put his hands on his hips and gave her a heartwarming smile, "Yep, it's me. Hello again Tsunami-san. It's been too long."

The next thing anyone knew, Tsunami had flung herself at the Naruto and was sobbing into his chest. She had never forgotten what all he had done to save her and her son, and would be forever grateful to him. Naruto enveloped the woman with his arms and stroked her back, telling her it was all right. After several minutes, Tsunami got her sobbing under control and stood back, wiping her eyes.

"Sorry about that. It's just that you're a hero here Naruto, twice over I should add and I haven't seen you in so long. Come in, come in. I'll make you something to eat. You must be tired."

"Thanks Tsunami-san but don't trouble yourself. I'm here to meet with your father."

"Nonsense. Now come here and sit down." She said in a tone that left no room for arguments.

Sighing, Naruto just thanked her and took a seat, "How have things been going here?"

"Things are wonderful. Father is a hero since he built the bridge and I've even gotten him to cut back on drinking. There isn't any reason to drink away sorrow when there isn't any sorrow to drink away. Inari is still adamant about being like you but he's too old now to learn how to be a ninja so he's learning to take over the family business but training to be part of Wave's peacekeeping guards."

"That's good to hear so where is Inari?"

"He's at a training camp; he should be back by tomorrow."

"Ahh. That's too bad I guess I will have to see him when I get back."

"You're leaving already?"

"Well just town. I need to find something on Wave."

"Find what?"

"His ancestral home." A voice interrupted them.

They turned to find Tazuna dressed in his Daimyo robes and escorted by two more guards.

"Uzumaki-sama." Tazuna bowed confusing everyone including Naruto.

"Stop messing around old man; one, I'm not for that formal junk and two, it should be me bowing to the Daimyo."

"Then let me explain, when we first met all those years ago I wondered about you and when I was told you were an orphan I merely blew it off as coincidence."

"Blew what off, dad?"

"I'm getting to that. You're not old enough to know or even remember since it was not really taught. The Land of Waves used to be called The Land of Whirlpools and had its own hidden village, Uzushiogakure and amongst them were the Uzumaki Clan. The Uzumakis claim to fame were not just their mastery of Water jutsus and Fuinjutsu but were also related to the royal family of Whirlpool before the royal family was wiped out along with the hidden village."

Everyone's eyes widened when they realized what Tazuna was hinting at.

"You my dear Naruto are the last known living descendant of the first royal family of Wave and therefore by virtue of your bloodline, are the rightful heir to be the Daimyo of Wave."

Tazuna bowed to the stunned Naruto along with everyone else in the room.

Naruto fell back into his chair, "Can my life not be so complicated?"

Tsunami chuckled, "Well you are the most unpredictable ninja in your village but I guess that applies to the rest of the World huh?"

"Can we discuss this another time… Somewhere far down the line?"

"If that is what you wish but I will have to make it known to the rest of the country."

"Do we have to?" Naruto groaned.

"We should not keep this from the people longer than we have to."

"But I don't intend to rule Wave… The thought never crossed my mind… Protect it, join it yes but rule it…"

"You can appoint someone to rule in your place till you or one of your descendents chooses to rule."

"Fine. You've done a great job so far so I don't see why you shouldn't carry on being Daimyo."

"Thank you Uzumaki-sama."

"Can we drop the formal bit, you old drunk?"

"Of course you brat." Tazuna chuckled.

"So you know that I'm looking to find the ruins of Uzushiogakure."

"I figured you might once word reached me about your heritage, I've been waiting for this day." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a ring box and opened it, "This is the royal ring of the Kurosakis, the first royal family and your relatives. I've never worn it, now it belongs to you."

"Thank you." Naruto accepted the ring and kept it in his cloak.

"I will prepare a guild and a small group to escort you and maybe help you tomorrow."

"That sounds good to me."

"Good but for now come with me, I want to show you something."

Naruto followed him to wherever he was going. It did not take long for them to get to his desired destination. He stood in awe of the memorial in front of him though he kept it well hidden. There, in their childhood glory, were him, Sakura and Sasuke, with Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku standing behind them. How did his Drones miss this? He walked over and read the plaque, 'This monument is a testament to the will of those who help others. With no obligation to aid the Land of Wave, these ninja forged the way for our country to prosper and grow. In honor of their sacrifices, we erect this memorial with their likenesses, in the hopes that, like their Will of Fire, the Land of Wave will never crumble.'

"When was this made?"

"We commissioned this two years ago but as you can see because of how intricate it is, it was only completed last month and placed here over Zabuza and Haku's grave just last week."

Naruto studied Zabuza and Haku's structures and saw that Zabuza was holding his Executioner's Blade and Haku his cracked mask. He ran his hand over the names engraved at the bottom and lingered longer on Zabuza and Haku's names.

Naruto sat on his haunches, thinking about whether or not Haku would be impressed with him or disappointed in him with what he has done and the choice he was to make. It was during this time that Tazuna took his leave to prepare Naruto's escort and guild. Naruto stayed there till nightfall before leaving, his question still unanswered.

* * *

- Uzushiogakure -

Naruto had met his escort and guard the next morning and thankfully they were able to travel at a reasonable pace in Naruto's opinion, in a few hours they reached a village. Within the valley there lied Uzushiogakure. Not far from where Naruto and his group stood there was a waterfall leading to a massive river that split cleanly through the village. On the other side of the valley, there was another waterfall doing the same. In the center of the village, there was a whirlpool where the two directly conflicting waterways met. Around the whirlpool were four massive cylindrical buildings at least one hundred feet off of the ground while what used to be houses and other assorted buildings dotted the landscape around them.

Naruto whistled, "This place is huge. When did this village fall? It's just as big as Konoha."

Izuru, a Corporal who was a history specialist answered, "It fell during the Second Great Shinobi War. This village had many enemies, the war opened with Sunagakure, Amegakure, and Iwagakure temporarily combining forces to sack the village all at once. This brought Konoha into the war to defend its ally, however it was too late. Your clan was believed to have been wiped out and the rest of the villagers scattered to the winds when the village was destroyed."

"Stay here." Naruto ordered as he walked towards the village entrance.

The ruins of Uzushiogakure were a desolate and lonely place and some of the buildings looked as if they had been scavenged for building materials. Considering the economic situation a couple of years ago and the price of such materials, he understood. At least it looked like they had the decency to leave the graveyard and the monument alone. It had been left entirely alone however, and it looked as if nobody had come to tend to it in years if not decades.

Despite the looks of everything, something about the place was drawing him in and it made him feel comfortable and made him feel at peace… and complete.

"I'm home."

TBC

* * *

A/N:  
Well I hope you guy enjoyed this chapter. I'll try not to make you wait another year for the next chapter, I still can't believe it's been that long.

Next Chapter: Secrets of the Uzumakis

I need suggestions for names of 2 of my elemential Rasengans:

Lightning Style:  
Duo effect attack. A) Drills into target and electrocutes them from within. B) Hitting attack on the ground will cause a lightning discharge for 15 – 20m, shocking all within range including user unless protected by charka. Fills the area with static electricity that may damage/disable electrical equipment and paralyze living creatures. Gives off loud chirping sound like Chidori.

I've considered changing A) to work more like the Kamehameha form Dragon Ball or the Haduken from Street Fighters. It's appearance will probably look like a ball of lightning.

Earth Style:  
Hitting a target directly will result in the same effect as a normal Rasengen though elemental strength/weakness has to be taken into consideration. However its real strength in when it is driven into the ground, it causes a ripple effect which radiates from the center and launches shrapnel of different sizes and shapes (from small bullet-size spikes to fist-size rocks) up-wards with an effective radius of 15 - 20m.

Its appearance is a Rasengan with thick dark brown earth and sand rotating in different directions with stones orbiting around it.

I'm open to suggestions. Thanks.


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